The Australian College of Rural and Remote Medicine (ACRRM) says Family Doctor Week is an opportunity to highlight the work Rural Generalists (RGs) are doing to provide excellent health care to families in rural and remote communities.
It is also an occasion to highlight the importance of a National Rural Generalist Pathway to recognise their work and encourage future General Practitioners to consider Rural Generalism as an interesting and rewarding career.
ACRRM President Dr Ewen McPhee says: “As specialist General Practitioners (GPs) who are committed to having the skills and acumen to provide cradle to grave health care, Rural Generalists are focused on serving families living in isolated communities.
“They provide care in emergency situations; have specific advanced skills in a range of areas including mental health, indigenous health, obstetrics and anaesthetics; use telehealth to improve access to care; and can work as part of a health care team serving their communities.
“Family Doctor Week (21 July to 27 July) is an opportunity to highlight that families living in rural and regional communities have been left without equitable healthcare for too long,” Dr McPhee continues.
“The National Rural Generalist Pathway will provide the framework for coordinated workforce training and support and deliver excellent healthcare where it is most needed.
“We hope that it will also help reinvigorate interest in general practice and address the current maldistribution of the general practice workforce so that doctors are motivated and supported to work in the regional, rural and remote communities where they are needed.”
Recognition for the National Rural Generalist Pathway is progressing, with a commitment by the Commonwealth Government to invest $62.2M over four years towards formal implementation of a Rural Generalist workforce.
“This will go a long way to ensuring families living outside the city and urban areas are not left behind when it comes to access to high quality medical care,” Dr McPhee says.