ACRRM welcomes continued funding to support rural doctor training

The Australian College of Rural and Remote Medicine (ACRRM) welcomes Minister for Regional Services Senator Bridget McKenzie’s announcement to continue funding programs providing vital support for Rural Generalist practice.

The announcement of $61 million in funding over three years for the Rural Procedural Grants Program (RPGP) and the General Practitioner Procedural Training Support Program (GPPTSP), provides rural generalist doctors with funding support to undertake training in procedural services in obstetrics, surgery, anaesthetics and emergency services in rural and remote areas.

ACRRM President Dr Ewen McPhee says the announcement provides confidence that the government recognises the importance of Rural Generalist doctors to maintaining high-quality services in rural and remote communities.

 “These two programs are critical to building and sustaining a thriving Rural Generalist workforce providing excellent care to rural and remote Australians,” Dr McPhee says.

“Rural Generalists seeking to provide procedural services in their communities must meet rigorous hospital regulatory standards.  This is a major challenge for doctors in rural and remote areas as it generally involves regular travel to cities for training and experience, and considerable time off work and away from home.

“As we work to establish a National Rural Generalist Pathway, it is critical that these two flagship programs continue to support doctors and the future National Rural Generalist Program,” Dr McPhee adds.

The RPGP, designed by ACRRM, provides funding supports to rural doctors to assist them to meet the significant additional costs they face to acquire the high-level skills required to meet the needs of their communities.

“The program is run with minimum administrational cost due to highly effective collaboration between the General Practice Colleges as joint-administrators and the services of the national expert advisory team, the Procedural Medicine Collaboration,” Dr McPhee explains.

“The contribution of this program to maintaining the Rural Generalist workforce skill set is significant. “In 2018, more than 12,850 procedural and 8450 emergency training activities were supported by this program.”

The GPPTSP provides scholarships to select rural doctors to gain advanced level qualifications in anaesthetics and obstetrics and enable them to gain essential procedural skills competency.

“The College has also valued being a stakeholder in the consultation of rural GP training programs and is committed to working with Government to implement important reforms moving forward,” Dr McPhee says.