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Candidates must reveal rural health plans, says AMA Victoria
8 November 2007
Victorian election candidates need to reveal their rural health rescue plans, according to AMA Victoria President Dr Doug Travis.
Dr Travis was commenting after the Federal AMA President, Dr Rosanna Capolingua, today urged the major parties to copy the AMA’s rural health policies to give country Australians some hope that the next Federal Government will resolve the widespread crisis confronting rural health services.
“So far, the federal election campaign has not seen bold, innovative ideas on rural health, particularly in the State of Victoria” said Dr Travis. “All parties need to recognise the importance of health services to rural Victorians and bring their rural health policies to the table.”
Dr Travis noted that the Australian Bureau of Statistics had recorded a population increase of over 50 800 in regional Victoria over the last five years, leading to more pressure on services.
“For this growth in population, we need an extra 116 hospital beds, we need more general practitioners, we need more nurses, and we need more allied health staff,” Dr Travis said. “The growth in services and infrastructure has not kept up with the growth in demand.”
“We need investment in aged care funding, but we also need more innovative solutions to keep people in their own homes as long as possible.”
Dr Travis outlined the AMA Victoria four-point Plan for Rural Health in the State of Victoria (attached), and urged Victorian candidates for Federal Parliament to adopt AMA policies for rural health care.
“Health care is the lifeblood of a strong regional community,” Dr Travis said. “Now is the time to invest — substantially and strategically — in rural health.”
AMA Victoria
Plan for Rural Health in the State of Victoria
1. Encourage doctors to work in country Victoria.
Federal government incentive packages do not take into account the vagaries of Victoria’s population distribution. Large areas of Victoria are ineligible for a range of Commonwealth incentives to attract doctors to country towns. Classification systems must be reviewed to ensure people living in country Victoria are not disadvantaged.
Programs to encourage general practitioners to work in regional Victoria should be expanded, and incentives made available to medical specialists. The Australian Medical Association has called for more scholarships and HECS relief, among other ideas.
2. Fix regional hospitals
Traditionally, the Federal and Victorian Governments have funded hospitals equally under the Australian Health Care Agreements. However, the Commonwealth share of funding has fallen to under 41 per cent in recent years. If the Commonwealth increased it’s funding to the correct level, there would be an extra $716 million for Victorian hospitals.
3. Expand innovative service solutions that work
The significant Commonwealth Government investment in rural health care has seen some failures and some successes. The successful programs should be encouraged and expanded. An example would include the Medical Specialist Outreach Program.
4. Consolidate Victoria as a leader in rural health training.
Health professional trained in rural areas are more likely to work in rural areas. Victoria’s unique geography and population distribution creates opportunities to take the lead in rural health training. We have large population centres outside Melbourne that can provide a critical mass of teachers and patients, and a willing group of clinicians to conduct training.
Victoria has been a leader in rural health training, with Monash University, the University of Melbourne and now Deakin University introducing innovative and effective programs to encourage young doctors to work in rural and regional Australia.
A relatively small investment in additional infrastructure and support (for example, support for GPs to add another consulting room to accommodate a student) would provide more training opportunities in rural Victoria.
See also the following policy documents available at www.ama.com.au:
- The AMA paper, Key Health Issues for the 2007 Federal Election
- The AMA rural policy paper, Bridging the Gap
- The AMA/RDAA position paper, Rural Rescue Package
Victorian Medical Directory
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