P O L I C Y, L O B B Y I N G & A D V O C A C Y U P D A T E
Healthcare Access in Regional, Rural and Remote Australia Michael Barrett, OTA National Manager, Government and Stakeholder Relations
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nsuring access to healthcare in regional, rural and remote areas of the country is a perennial challenge for all Australian governments and, as such, is a high priority for OTA’s policy and advocacy team.
And we stated:
In our most recent pre-budget submission to the federal treasury, OTA wrote:
It was heartening that the 2020-21 federal budget, delivered on 6 October—five months late, owing to the economic turmoil caused by COVID-19—included several initiatives in line with OTA’s recommendations.
• Funding five projects to enhance aged care training
The Morrison government announced that it would implement a $550 million Stronger Rural Health Strategy. This aims to give doctors more opportunities to train and practise in rural and remote Australia, and gives nurses and allied health professionals a greater role in the delivery of multidisciplinary, team-based primary care.
The budget also funds trials of a new way to provide health services to smaller, connected rural communities across western and southern New South Wales, focusing on models to create efficient, coordinated networks of general practitioners, nurses and other health providers. The selection of new primary care models was based on their readiness for implementation, and was the product of collaboration between local primary health networks, state government health districts, and local medical leaders. The government has indicated that outcomes of these trials will inform wider primary care reform in rural Australia.
‘In a land as vast as Australia, and with a population as urbanised as Australia’s, it is unsurprising that our health, aged care and disability workforce is stretched so thinly between our major cities. But while the problem comes as no surprise, it nonetheless remains a problem … The federal government should work to address this maldistribution as a matter of urgency, ensuring those Australians living outside our major cities and regional centres enjoy reasonable access to health services befitting one of the world’s most advanced countries. The stated determination of all governments to ‘close the gap’ of Indigenous disadvantage is another compelling reason to ensure such access.’ We went on to note that education must play a key role in any long-term solution to this problem. Regular and meaningful rotations through regional and remote locations during the training of medical and allied health professionals heighten the possibility that students will eventually settle and practice in such locations.
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‘We also join with other organisations in calling for the development and implementation of a comprehensive rural and remote health strategy.’
Funding of $50.3 million over four years will expand the Rural Health Multidisciplinary Training (RHMT) program, which has been in place for more than 20 years. Incorporating 16 University Departments of Rural Health (UDRH), the program provides training to students across a range of health disciplines, including nursing and allied health, in such fields as aged care, disability and rehabilitation, childcare, education, community facilities, and Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation settings. According to the government’s budget statement, the expansion of the RHMT
will deliver four key elements: • Funding a new UDRH • Increasing training in five remote communities through existing UDRHs (including student accommodation)
• A feasibility study to identify best approaches to increase dental training in regional locations
The government also committed to expanding the National Rural Health Commissioner’s function, indicating the office would take a system-wide view of rural health, ensuring initiatives were integrated and address gaps. These announcements largely align with recommendations made by OTA in recent years, and are welcome.
