AMA Responds to the National Rural Generalist Taskforce Advice
The AMA has submitted its response to the 19 recommendations the National Rural Generalist Taskforce submitted to Professor Paul Worley, the National Rural Health Commissioner. The submission will help Professor Worley in the development of the National Rural Generalist Pathway (NRGP).
The AMA supports the development of a National Rural Generalist Pathway and has provided advice to the commissioner and taskforce as the program has developed.
Key points in the AMAs submission are:
- Strong support of the NRGP as a means of improving health outcomes of our rural and remote communities and in supporting improved recruitment and retention in these areas;
- Access to training in rural and regional areas will be key to the success of the program;
- Support for rural generalists to build upon high quality general practice with extended skills, including emergency medicine, in response to the needs of the community;
- Support for recognising rural generalism as a subspecialty within general practice;
- Continuity of employment for the duration of the training contract to provide stability and certainty to doctors on the Pathway; and
- Conditional support for reform of the General Practice Rural Incentive Program, provided this comes with additional funding so that no GP or practice is financially worse off.
The AMA has provided in principle support for rural generalist access to non-GP MBS rebates on the basis there is continued discussion and consultation with regard to defining scope of practice and credentialing.
The AMA is dedicated to improving rural health outcomes and addressing the issue of health workforce maldistribution.
Read the full submission here.
Read the AMA and RDAAs’ Rural Rescue Package for more information on rural health issues.
