ACRRM President Dr Sarah Chalmers recently joined the first meeting of the newly established Strengthening Medicare Taskforce, which replaces the previous Primary Health Care Reform Steering Group convened by past Minister Greg Hunt. It was announced as part of Labor’s election platform and aims to identify the best ways to boost affordability, improve access, and better support patients with ongoing and chronic illness. 

ACRRM is one of the few rurally focused organisations to have a seat at the table and is calling for specific and targeted rural solutions for rural healthcare.
 
Dr Chalmers joined the meeting armed with a briefing on priority areas for reform from a rural and remote perspective. 

ACRRM has called for fit-for-purpose funding models which reflect and adequately remunerate General Practitioners in rural and remote areas. It must also be recognised that primary health care in the rural and remote context commonly consists of an integrated model of care involving hospitals, GP surgeries and other facilities, with Rural Generalists (RGs) providing care across a range of these settings.  

The College has also called for recognition and support for rural generalism, to ensure RGs are supported and valued throughout training and practice, and reforms address remuneration, and barriers to credentialing and employment.