The Rural Doctors Association of Australia says health policies so far have failed to address the availability of care for rural and remote patients.
Rural and remote Australians won’t see the same benefits of further cuts to the price of PBS medicines as their metropolitan counterparts, says the RDAA.
And while the peak body welcomed the announcement by both sides of government that they would reduce the maximum PBS copayment to $25, the critical lack of access to healthcare in rural and remote regions remained a major issue.
Rural Doctors Association of Australia president Dr RT Lewandowski said a plan to address the ongoing issues affecting the availability of care to rural and remote patients is so far missing from budget or election promises.
“It is already clear that Labor is focussing on health as a key plank in their election platform,” he said.
“And any further money into primary care in particular, and savings to patients through cheaper PBS medicines is a good outcome.
“But for those rural and remote patients who struggle to access care this investment is not going to have the same positive impact.”
Dr Lewandowski said the Coalition had matched Labor’s election commitments for the most part, but with the formal election campaign due to start in the coming weeks “we want to start hearing what is going to be done to address the very real access issues for rural and remote Australians”.
“If there simply isn’t a doctor to see, increased bulk billing won’t help you, and money won’t be saved on the prescription you couldn’t get,” he said.
“If you have to drive hundreds of kilometres to see a doctor or to access a pharmacy, a $7 saving will quickly be eaten up in fuel costs.
“What rural patients really need is better access to medical services, more health services available locally, and less waiting times. This is across all health professionals – GPs, specialists, physios … you name it.”
According to the RDAA, delivering health care in ‘real rural’ communities (those classified by the Modified Monash Model (MMM) 3-7) was significantly different to delivering health care in metropolitan or large regional centres (MMM1-2), and the ongoing maldistribution of medical professionals could only be addressed by targeted initiatives.
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“Broad-brush measures that are aimed at saving all patients money are welcome. But they simply do not extend into rural areas as much as they do in cities, and rural patients often get far less benefit as a result,” said Dr Lewandowski.
“The already announced increased investment into GP training places is a strong commitment to primary care, but unless at least 200 of these positions are allocated to rural generalist (RG) training it is a missed opportunity for rural and remote Australia.
“Junior doctors are voting with their feet and RG training positions are currently oversubscribed. More RG doctors, with the skills required to care for rural communities, are urgently needed and we know that those who complete their training in rural and remote communities are more likely to stay working in rural and remote communities.
“Allocating 200 of the additional training places to the RG program is essential to developing a rural medical workforce large enough to come closer to meeting demand.”
The RDAA wants governments to commit to a National Rural Health Strategy to enable the outcomes from recent reviews to be considered and progressed appropriately for the rural and remote context.
“We need plans to not only address the more urgent needs but also build the foundation for longer term success in increasing access to medical and other health services for people living in the bush,” said Dr Lewandowski.
“Building better access to care locally not only directly benefits those communities, but providing quality, local care reduces pressure on the health services in larger centres that these patients are otherwise forced to rely on.”
The RDAA has developed a five-point plan for better health care for rural Australians, and a National Rural Health Strategy is a key pillar of that plan.
“We hope to see bi-partisan support for this much-needed initiative in the leadup to the federal election,” he said.
See the plan here.
