Rural docs are calling for greater long-term investment into disaster-prone outback healthcare.
The floods currently affecting northern NSW and Queensland have highlighted a significant need for more government support in rural healthcare – and as an election looms, rural healthcare experts say the time to ensure future investment in the regions is now.
With these environmental disasters like flooding and bushfires come numerous collateral impacts, with the National Rural Health Association reporting that Australians in these disaster-prone areas are often forgoing flood insurance due to its increasing unaffordability.
Many doctors in these areas have highlighted that this disruption has impacted training for rural generalism.
“However, we have had the ability for folks to actually get in and cover our shortages, we’ve had trouble, potentially for our trainees and our doctors to attend education and conference events like the Rural maternity summit,” Dr Dan Halliday, former ACRRM president told The Medical Republic.
In terms of government support, Dr Halliday told TMR that most of the government support happens in unison with increases in media attention, that then drives pushes for funding.
However, this funding is often too late in terms of effective management of environmental crises, with greater investment into disaster-preparation becoming a rapidly increasing necessity.
Related
“One of the examples of that would have been from a greater public health response is to actually have weather radars in southwestern Queensland, which could have more readily identified the rain threat coming through,” Dr Halliday said.
“It is Australia, after all, and we should be prepared for these events when they do happen.”
The need for development in infrastructure has been a major focus point during this crisis, not just in the immediate impact but also in how recovery from these crises puts more pressure on to the health workforce.
Townsville GP Dr Michael Clements emphasised that healthcare tends to be delayed as healthcare workers ensure their own safety and that of their family before working.
“What they’ll also be thinking about is how quickly can they get back to the clinic, or how quickly can they start to support the health needs?” Dr Clements told TMR.
“Because after an event like this, there are some immediate health needs that tend to be more physical, so that can be everything from managing wound infections from cuts and abrasions from people during the cleanup or caught out in the flood waters.”
While the immediate assistance has been welcomed, there are questions over whether the investment will continue in the long term to assist with the aftermath.
“What we saw in Townsville is that we dealt with very, very significant long-term effects … because mental health is intricately related to physical health.” Dr Clements said.
With an upcoming election, rural doctors are still waiting to be won over by the major parties.
“We haven’t seen anything meaningful in the election campaign from either side about remote rural communities and their healthcare and tailored investments and funding incentive rural incentive payments and funding the doctors in training to actually go out there and fill these spots.” Dr Clements stated.
“If we actually had a concerted effort from both state and federal governments to actually make rural primary care viable, to give them enough funding and support for infrastructure and generators and all of these things, then we would see more general practices open up.”
