DiagnosticsHealth Commission Forgets The Bush In Final Report, Australia
The National Health and Hospitals Reform Commission has wasted a "once in a lifetime" opportunity to fix
the rural health crisis by ignoring the need for urgent initiatives to entice more doctors and other health
professionals to the bush, the Rural Doctors Association of Australia (RDAA) said today.
"After the Commission released its interim report in February, we expressed our strong disappointment that the
number one priority for fixing the rural health crisis-improving access to local healthcare by getting more health
professionals into rural and remote Australia-was largely being overlooked by the Commission" RDAA President,
Dr Nola Maxfield, said.
"Consequently, it is extremely unfortunate and frustrating to us that the Commission has not heeded our advice
when developing its final report on health reform.
"The Commission"s final report was meant to be a report for the whole health system, but unfortunately it has a
gaping hole in it-rural health. The crucial element missing from the report is any recommendation for substantial
new initiatives to get more doctors and other healthcare professionals to the bush.
"In particular, we are extremely disappointed that a critical Rural Rescue Plan put forward by RDAA and the AMA
has again been overlooked by the Commission. Implementation of this Plan would be a very cost-effective (and we
believe hugely successful) way to get and keep more doctors in rural practice by providing real incentives and
supports for them. We have already seen this type of Plan introduced in Queensland by the state government, and
the ensuing increase in rural doctors there has been staggering.
"At the end of the day, the real issue for rural Australia is not about whether our nation has one health system or
whether the states or Commonwealth control it, but whether there is a health system at all in the bush. The
continuing, chronic shortage of health professionals in our country communities means that rural Australians are
simply not able to access the healthcare they need and deserve.
"It"s all well and good for the Commission to talk about equity payments to ensure health dollars reach those who
need it most, but until we get enough health professionals into rural and remote Australia it is going to be virtually
impossible to translate those payments into the delivery of extra local services.
"Rural Australia is already suffering from a shortage of 17,000 health professionals including doctors, nurses and
other health professionals-and this shortage will only get worse in the absence of genuine government action.
"As Prime Minister Kevin Rudd undertakes his consultation around the Commission"s final report, we urge him to
get out of the cities and the big metropolitan hospitals, and instead get into the bush to talk to the healthcare
professionals working on the ground there. He needs to visit many rural hospitals, rural general practices and
Aboriginal Medical Services to see for himself the problems surrounding access to healthcare in the bush and what
must be done to remedy the situation before it is simply too late.
"Rural health is a bit like a paddock-once the topsoil has eroded away from lack of care it is very hard to bring it
back to life. Now is the time to be investing in this paddock so it will provide the harvest of rural health professionals
and better access to healthcare that is so desperately required in the bush."
Rural Doctors Association of Australia