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By Gus Whyte, Chair of the ACRRM Community Reference Group
Passionate about living in rural and remote communities, Gus Whyte, Chair of the ACRRM Community Reference Group shares his thoughts on the importance of high-quality healthcare access where it’s most needed.
How many times do you think I have heard the statement: “What do you expect? You live out in the middle of nowhere, you shouldn’t expect a good service, it’s too expensive”. More times than I can count and mainly from people who have never experienced the beautiful heart of our wonderful country. People who live in rural and remote Australia are used to travelling. A few hundred kilometres might only take them to their nearest town! It’s no problem to travel reasonable distances to receive healthcare if it is available. Often it is not.
Access to care
When many Australians think of ‘outback Australia’, they immediately think of the wonderful work of the Royal Flying Doctor Service (RFDS). They certainly are fantastic; we are fortunate to have them and we are very grateful for their service. The cost of emergency retrievals in remote Australia is significant, you could fund a large number of primary care clinics in outback towns, preventing emergencies before they happen with some of those funds. “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure”.
Access to primary care in outback Australia is not difficult or expensive to provide. The National Rural Health Alliance estimates that if we spent the same amount per person on healthcare in the outback as we do in the cities, we’d see an additional $6.55bill invested each year.
Of course, the delivery of health services across Australia isn’t just about money.
The impact of reduced access to healthcare in outback Australia is highlighted by many statistics. Rural Australians have a lower life expectancy of up to 16 years shorter than urban counterparts. There are higher levels of chronic disease and overall poorer health outcomes. When you are sick and alone, miles from care, they are very scary, lonely times that you don’t wish on anyone.
One of the issues is so called ‘geographic isolation’ (live in the middle of nowhere). To many who live in rural and remote Australia, this this is the reason they live there, it’s what they love. City living isn’t for everyone; that is part of the diversity of our great nation.
Providing healthcare to First Nations people is complex. In Some areas of very remote Australia, 50 per cent of the population identifies as First Nations. While healthcare is accessible for First Nations people, it needs to be culturally appropriate, and we need to respect that. Another barrier is the lack of training delivered on country; being able to train on country is important. If we want better health outcomes, we need to ensure training programs are based where people live and work, such as the ACRRM Fellowship program.
Rural Generalist recognition
The formal acceptance and accreditation of Rural Generalist (RG) doctors is a great step in acknowledging the wide range of skills required for rural and remote doctors, including emergency medicine, obstetrics, anaesthetics, and chronic disease management. The recognition and accreditation of RGs marks an important step in addressing healthcare gaps. Their presence strengthens multidisciplinary teams and attracts other healthcare professionals, ensuring better service provision. A well-supported RG can be the foundation of a thriving remote healthcare system.
Healthcare investment
There is no question we need an increased level of investment in rural and remote healthcare to achieve outcomes that are in line with the rest of society.
“Our life expectancy, health outcomes and quality of life shouldn’t depend on our postcode”.
By investment, I’m not just talking money. There needs to be an investment in respect and understanding of the needs of the people living in the outback. We need country solutions to country problems, empowering communities to help themselves, not a modified urban solution.
We need to prepare and support Rural Generalists so they are prepared for the unique environment they will be working in.
As Chair of the ACRRM Community Reference Group, I call on Federal and State Governments to increase investment in rural and remote healthcare, at least bringing us up to a similar spend per person as capital cities. Any new policies must be designed with rural communities, not imposed on them.
Groups like ACRRM, Rural Australian Matter (RAM) and those delivering health services in our unique outback, understand the challenges. The National Rural Health Commissioner also has a good grasp of the issues. Listening and learning from these people, working together to build a fit-for-purpose system, has benefits right across our great nation.
Imagine a wonderful future where you could live anywhere in our magnificent country, knowing your health needs can be met.
Together we can make this happen. “When it comes to healthcare don’t just paint the front fence, make sure the back fence is secure as well”.
__
About Gus Whyte
Gus Whyte and his wife Kelly live on Wyndham Station in Southwestern NSW. They also lease their family property, Willow Point—another 19,000 hectares. Gus is passionate about his community, the environment, and ensuring that access to quality healthcare allows both to thrive. “We need more people living in remote Australia to care for our unique landscapes—and they need access to good healthcare to do it”.
All news
By Gus Whyte, Chair of the ACRRM Community Reference Group
Passionate about living in rural and remote communities, Gus Whyte, Chair of the ACRRM Community Reference Group shares his thoughts on the importance of high-quality healthcare access where it’s most needed.
How many times do you think I have heard the statement: “What do you expect? You live out in the middle of nowhere, you shouldn’t expect a good service, it’s too expensive”. More times than I can count and mainly from people who have never experienced the beautiful heart of our wonderful country. People who live in rural and remote Australia are used to travelling. A few hundred kilometres might only take them to their nearest town! It’s no problem to travel reasonable distances to receive healthcare if it is available. Often it is not.
Access to care
When many Australians think of ‘outback Australia’, they immediately think of the wonderful work of the Royal Flying Doctor Service (RFDS). They certainly are fantastic; we are fortunate to have them and we are very grateful for their service. The cost of emergency retrievals in remote Australia is significant, you could fund a large number of primary care clinics in outback towns, preventing emergencies before they happen with some of those funds. “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure”.
Access to primary care in outback Australia is not difficult or expensive to provide. The National Rural Health Alliance estimates that if we spent the same amount per person on healthcare in the outback as we do in the cities, we’d see an additional $6.55bill invested each year.
Of course, the delivery of health services across Australia isn’t just about money.
The impact of reduced access to healthcare in outback Australia is highlighted by many statistics. Rural Australians have a lower life expectancy of up to 16 years shorter than urban counterparts. There are higher levels of chronic disease and overall poorer health outcomes. When you are sick and alone, miles from care, they are very scary, lonely times that you don’t wish on anyone.
One of the issues is so called ‘geographic isolation’ (live in the middle of nowhere). To many who live in rural and remote Australia, this this is the reason they live there, it’s what they love. City living isn’t for everyone; that is part of the diversity of our great nation.
Providing healthcare to First Nations people is complex. In Some areas of very remote Australia, 50 per cent of the population identifies as First Nations. While healthcare is accessible for First Nations people, it needs to be culturally appropriate, and we need to respect that. Another barrier is the lack of training delivered on country; being able to train on country is important. If we want better health outcomes, we need to ensure training programs are based where people live and work, such as the ACRRM Fellowship program.
Rural Generalist recognition
The formal acceptance and accreditation of Rural Generalist (RG) doctors is a great step in acknowledging the wide range of skills required for rural and remote doctors, including emergency medicine, obstetrics, anaesthetics, and chronic disease management. The recognition and accreditation of RGs marks an important step in addressing healthcare gaps. Their presence strengthens multidisciplinary teams and attracts other healthcare professionals, ensuring better service provision. A well-supported RG can be the foundation of a thriving remote healthcare system.
Healthcare investment
There is no question we need an increased level of investment in rural and remote healthcare to achieve outcomes that are in line with the rest of society.
“Our life expectancy, health outcomes and quality of life shouldn’t depend on our postcode”.
By investment, I’m not just talking money. There needs to be an investment in respect and understanding of the needs of the people living in the outback. We need country solutions to country problems, empowering communities to help themselves, not a modified urban solution.
We need to prepare and support Rural Generalists so they are prepared for the unique environment they will be working in.
As Chair of the ACRRM Community Reference Group, I call on Federal and State Governments to increase investment in rural and remote healthcare, at least bringing us up to a similar spend per person as capital cities. Any new policies must be designed with rural communities, not imposed on them.
Groups like ACRRM, Rural Australian Matter (RAM) and those delivering health services in our unique outback, understand the challenges. The National Rural Health Commissioner also has a good grasp of the issues. Listening and learning from these people, working together to build a fit-for-purpose system, has benefits right across our great nation.
Imagine a wonderful future where you could live anywhere in our magnificent country, knowing your health needs can be met.
Together we can make this happen. “When it comes to healthcare don’t just paint the front fence, make sure the back fence is secure as well”.
__
About Gus Whyte
Gus Whyte and his wife Kelly live on Wyndham Station in Southwestern NSW. They also lease their family property, Willow Point—another 19,000 hectares. Gus is passionate about his community, the environment, and ensuring that access to quality healthcare allows both to thrive. “We need more people living in remote Australia to care for our unique landscapes—and they need access to good healthcare to do it”.