The Australian College of Rural and Remote Medicine (ACRRM) welcomes the coalition’s election commitment of an additional $146 million in funding to boost the number of doctors in rural, remote and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities.
ACRRM President, Dr Sarah Chalmers says the announcement acknowledges that access to high-quality healthcare for these communities is an important election issue.
“With more than one-third of Australians living in regional, rural and remote Australia, their healthcare needs must be high on the agenda of all political parties and candidates,” Dr Chalmers says.
“As the only College which specialises in rural and remote healthcare, we commit to advocating for these communities and welcome this response to our College election priorities which call for a commitment to targeted funding programs and immediate action to address healthcare disparities.
“We are pleased to see additional funding has been allocated to deliver targeted Rural Generalist education and training which develops the right skills to provide high-quality healthcare in rural and remote communities.
“This will be supported by new investments to create Advanced Skills Training posts for Rural Generalists (RGs) and GP registrars, additional workforce incentives to RGs, and the engagement of nurses, nurse practitioners and allied health professionals to build strong and responsive multidisciplinary care teams.”
Dr Chalmers says the announcement of additional funded places for students to study at rural campuses is also welcomed.
“Evidence shows that doctors who have positive experiences studying, training and working in rural communities are more likely to stay in those regions,” she adds.
“We also know that flexible, collaborative approaches which recognise the value of the RG model of practice, provide clear career pathways and opportunities for training and skills development at all career stages, and develop a critical mass of healthcare professionals to provide holistic care and share the workload.
“This announcement by the coalition is a strong start and we look forward to other political parties and candidates sharing their vision for improving access to healthcare in rural and remote Australia.
“ACRRM is committed to contributing to the rural healthcare solution.
“We offer our experience and expertise to all political parties and jurisdictions to help achieve better health outcomes for our rural and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities,” Dr Chalmers says.
To view ACRRM’s election priorities, visit our Advocacy page.
ENDS
For more information, visit acrrm.org.au