A rising issue in remote areas

Royal Flying Doctor Service research has revealed chronic illness such as mental health in Australia’s remote population is forecast to grow dramatically without action.

Research shows that despite the remote population increasing only marginally, mental health is fore- cast to increase by a fifth. Details are outlined in a Royal Flying Doctor Service report Looking Ahead: Responding to health needs of Country Australia in 2028.

The report provides health service forests from 2018.

Disability-adjusted life years, DALY, or the number of years lost to ill-health, disability or early death, are forecast to increase in the next 10 years.

Mental illness is up by 21.6 percent from 21.l8 to 27.1 DALYS, cancer is up by 15.6 percent from 37.6 to 44, and neurological conditions such as alzheimers, up by 47.8 from 13.2 to 21.5.