Rural Doctors head to the city
The AMA Council of Rural Doctors met in Sydney to discuss pressing issues in rural healthcare.
The AMA Council of Rural Doctors met in Sydney to discuss pressing issues in rural healthcare.
The AMA Council of Rural Doctors (AMACRD) met at the AMA New South Wales Office in Sydney on 26-27 November 2022.
Chaired by Dr Ian Kamerman, the council discussed current policies and emerging issues around access to medical care for rural, regional and remote communities and the impact of rural medical workforce shortages.
The council especially highlighted the impact of government policy to expand Distribution Priority Area (DPA) to outer metropolitan towns (MM2). Members have reported that doctors are leaving MM3-7 locations to work in MM2 areas and that small practices in rural and remote locations are having to pay more to keep their doctors from leaving to work in MM2 areas.
The council is in the process of developing a Rural Health Plan which will outline key rural health reforms to improve access to medical care in regional, rural and remote areas. Key aspects will include medical school reform, training pathways and exposure to rural medicine, long-term retention programs for doctors in rural areas, improved patient access to primary care in rural areas and funding models for rural medical workforce.
For more information on this, contact Yulia Coleman (ycoleman@ama.com.au).
