Rural Generalist (RG) medicine is gaining strength.

ACRRM attracted an increased number of registrars to its Fellowship program this year, exceeding its quota of 250 registrars across the Australian General Practice Training program and Rural Generalist Training Scheme this year by 10 per cent and 90 per cent respectively.

ACRRM President Dr Dan Halliday says the increased confidence in the ACRRM program and RG medicine needs to be harnessed, and now is the time to act.

“We were grateful to secure one-off funding from the Department of Health and Aged Care to accept all those selected to train in 2024, however both the College and prospective registrars need to be able to plan with confidence that this growing demand will be able to be fulfilled.

“To support increased interest and accommodate growing demand, ACRRM seeks additional funding to train 500 registrars each year, for the next five years. In the longer term, more RGs will mean better access and better health outcomes for rural, remote and First Nations communities. This call to support the continued growth of RG medicine is one of four key priorities the College has put forward in its pre-budget submission. 

Other calls to action are:

  • Strengthen Medicare within the rural and remote context through progressing the development RG specific MBS item numbers.
  • Support RG training and generational transfer through increased funding to recognise both the training and clinical consultancy roles of Rural Generalist and rural General Practitioner supervisors.
  • Extend the RG training pipeline through funding to promote careers in rural medicine to remote, rural, and regional secondary school students.

“With this pre-budget submission, we are looking to enhance the attractiveness of the profession to the next generation of Rural Generalists, while supporting those who have already committed to providing high-quality healthcare where it is needed most.

“We continuously advocate to have the right doctors, in the right places, with the right skills, providing excellent healthcare to rural, remote, and First Nations communities.

“We look forward to discussing our priorities with all political parties, in the lead up to the budget.”