Docs urge pollies to commit to filling rural health gaps
RURAL doctors have urged major political parties to commit to significant and long-lasting investments into the rural health system after a Senate Inquiry interim report provided recommendations for improving the rural health care system.
The Inquiry found a need for an increase in Medicare rebates for GP consultations, as well as improved location-based incentives to encourage doctors to move to rural areas.
The Rural Doctors Association of Australia (RDAA) and some of its state Rural Doctors Associations contributed submissions, with some appearing before the Inquiry.
“We are pleased to see the Inquiry backing the need for additional supports and investment in the rural health space, and in general practice more broadly,” RDAA president Dr Megan Belot said.
“We fully support calls to substantially increase Medicare rebates for GP consultations, as well as other general practice funding options.
“General practices – and particularly rural general practices – continue to struggle to meet increased operating costs while also ensuring healthcare remains affordable for their patients.
“Notably, GPS working in remote and very remote Australia have the highest rates of bulk billing but also the largest average out of pocket expenses.”
Dr Belot said the Inquiry highlighted the challenges rural GPS face when it comes to meeting the needs of patients and providing quality care while also remaining viable as a small business in a rural or remote community.
RDAA also welcomed the Inquiry’s recommendation to expand the John Flynn Prevocational Doctor Program, to provide more much-needed rural training places for junior doctors. “At the moment, too many junior doctors do not have the opportunity to experience the rewarding nature of Rural Medicine through a 10–12-week rotation, let alone a whole year placement,” Dr Belot said.
“We are concerned that, while the Inquiry has flagged the need for a definition of national self-sufficiency on medical workforce numbers, some will interpret this as meaning there is a blanket need for more medical school places.
“The reality is that we don’t need any more medical school places in the city or in universities that do not value Rural Medicine or general practice. This investment must go to institutions that have demonstrated track-records in these areas.”
Dr Belot added that any increase in medical school places must align with increased funding to support growth in junior doctor positions, especially in rural areas.
“Until we get more rural training places for junior doctors, our system will continue to be hamstrung in the number of medical graduates we can train during their intern years...and this will impact on the number of Australian-trained doctors we will have in the system in the future.”
RDAA welcomed a recommendation that, as part of a review of the Modified Monash Model (MMM) and Distribution Priority Areas (DPA) classification systems for distributing healthcare measures, other datasets may need to be included to highlight areas of GP service need such as low socio-economic indexes.
RDAA will make a follow-up submission to the Senate Inquiry.