Indigenous and refugee health among key themes at national conference

Rural Medicine Australia
25-27 October 2018
Darwin Convention Centre
#RMA18 | www.ruralmedicineaustralia.com.au

Indigenous Health, Refugee Health and Women in Health will be among the major themes discussed at the Rural Medicine Australia 2018 (RMA18) conference, to be held in Darwin in October - reflecting issues that are receiving significant national attention in Australia.

The strong line-up of themes for RMA18 will also include Tropical Medicine, Innovation in Remote Settings, and Research in Policy and Practice.

More than 500 rural doctors, medical students and others from across Australia are expected to attend the peak rural medical conference, which is hosted annually by the Australian College of Rural and Remote Medicine (ACRRM) and Rural Doctors Association of Australia (RDAA).

ACRRM President, Associate Professor Ruth Stewart, said: "Our themes for RMA18 reflect the substantial concerns that many rural doctors and other health professionals have about the continuing significant gap in health outcomes and life expectancy for Indigenous Australians and for the health (including mental health) of refugees.

"Many rural and remote doctors work on the frontline in Indigenous health and refugee health, and witness daily the ongoing struggle that these patients face in terms of accessing healthcare and other critical supports.

"Australia needs to do more in these areas, and RMA18 will be an important forum for discussion of what can and should be done."

RDAA President, Dr Adam Coltzau, said another of RMA18's themes - Women in Health - would also generate important discussion.

"Our Women in Health theme will, amongst other things, explore the very positive impact that the growing number of female rural doctors is having in the bush - with the gender balance of the medical workforce outside the major cities edging closer to 50-50" he said.*

"This is a fantastic development for rural communities and the profession!

"Of course, there's always more to be done in making rural practice more sustainable for both female and male doctors, particularly the younger generations of doctors who do not want to work 70-hour-weeks. Consequently, while we will highlight what is being done well, we will also focus on what can be done better."

Rural doctors attending RMA18 will also be able to attend crucial pre- and post-conference workshops in Advanced Life Saving techniques, Rural Emergency Obstetrics, Mental Health, and Ultrasound.

* In 2016-17, the ratio of doctors outside the major cities was approximately 44% female to 56% male. In 2000-01, the ratio was approximately 32% female to 68% male. Source:

http://health.gov.au/internet/main/publishing.nsf/Content/General+Practice+Statistics-1

Registrations for RMA18 are now open (as is the call for abstracts).

More information on RMA18 can be found at www.ruralmedicineaustralia.com.au.