Rural doctors program expansion announced

The announcement was in the form of the expansion of the Single Employer Model enticing more GPs and emergency department doctors to regional and remote NSW.

The hope is for greater access to healthcare in regional communities by making it more attractive for junior doctors to enter the Rural Generalist Training pathway, while supporting the delivery of services in Emergency Departments and General Practices.

The model is based on an innovative program trialled by the Murrumbidgee Local Health District.

The NSW Government’s proposal was approved by the Commonwealth Government and is set to add up to 80 rural generalist trainees per year, as part of a 2022/2023 federal budget commitment.

The specific training will ensure GPs have the right skills to practice in rural settings and can address the individual needs of regional, rural and remote communities.

The initiative will commence at the beginning of the 2024 training year.

During his keynote address, Mr Park said it was something he was “extremely passionate about”.

“I’m hoping to make a number of commitments about healthcare over the coming months and years to come because we need to close the gap.

“Recruitment and retention of a primary health workforce is a major challenge for regional, rural, and remote New South Wales communities and addressing this is a priority for our government,” he said.

“I know the program well and it is a program that is working, it’s working on the ground right now delivering better healthcare for communities.”

“Upgrades to facilities are very important, but it’s the men and women of the New South Wales health care system who we rely on to deliver our healthcare to ourselves, our loved ones and our family members.”

Mr Park then acknowledged Member for Murray Helen Dalton as a “formidable, fierce participant in democracy at Macquarie Street” and thanked her for her “strong advocacy”.

“I said from the very beginning of this job that the men and women who run our health care services and the communities who use them are the two big groups I want to focus on.”

Mr Park also touched on a recent conversation with Deniliquin Hospital facility manager Ginny Lange regarding “a few hundred thousand for a palliative care unit, it was written in the brief I read at $200,000”.

“She said to me ‘Nah, it was $250,000,” he grinned.

“So you can always fleece an outsider,” he joked.

He conceded and said “I suppose, Ginny, $250,000 it is; it’s a good outcome, palliative care is very important”.

MLHD chief executive Jill Ludford also spoke about the roles that people play in the ongoing commitment to improving regional health.

She said it was a privilege to work with the indigenous leaders, particularly Laura Hand-Ross, saying they are “courageous, survivors, knowledge holders and trailblazers”.

Special thanks were given to Mr Park and all those who made this vision come to fruition.

“We have worked hard to deliver this vision in rural, for rural, by rural,” Ms Ludford said.

“My heart sings that our pilot program of five doctors has now turned into 80.”

Although Federal Minster for Health Mark Butler was not in attendance, he also added that the “innovative program will make training and working in rural general practice a more attractive option for young doctors”.

“And more importantly it will make it easier for people in regional New South Wales to see a doctor close to home.”

After some refreshments, the group then toured the hospital’s upgraded areas.

Upgrades were completed on the emergency department, the day surgery unit, operating theatre and oncology unit, and included the installation of a new computed tomography (CT) scanner.

“The upgrades have provided an enhanced experience for patients, visitors and staff, and ensure the local community will continue to receive vital health care close to home,” he said.

Mrs Dalton said ”The new technology is a game changer for rural and remote communities“.

“Hopefully now patients won’t have to travel 200km to Griffith or 250km to Wagga Wagga to receive the care and services they require.”