The Australian College of Rural and Remote Medicine (ACRRM) calls for funding in next week’s budget to address the healthcare workforce shortage in rural, remote, and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island communities. 

The College says to successfully improve access to healthcare for rural and remote people, the government must address training, resourcing, personal and professional support, and remuneration for healthcare professionals who live and work outside urban and city areas. 

ACRRM president Dr Dan Halliday says the College has solutions to avert the current workforce crisis. 

“We need to grow the Rural Generalist workforce by providing strong end-to-end medical training; opportunities for prevocational experience; support for practitioner health and wellbeing; and rebuild the rural and remote training pipeline to encourage students from rural and remote regions to consider a rural medical career,” Dr Halliday says. 

To achieve this, investment must include: 

  • An additional $12.5 million per annum to expand and enhance the ACRRM Rural Generalist Training Scheme, creating more and better supported funding places and boosting the RG workforce  
  • An additional 50 earmarked Rural Generalist Training Scheme places in the John Flynn Prevocational Doctor program  
  • Funding for specific programs to provide wellbeing support for doctors and doctors in training and the extended healthcare workforce across rural and remote in areas in MMM3-7 
  • Fund ACRRM to establish and implement and Australia-wide program to promote careers in Rural Generalist medicine to rural and remote secondary students - $2.5 million per annum over 3 years (total cost $7.5 million)  
  • Partner with universities to establish a scholarship scheme to support rural and remote students commencing a medical degree. An investment of $3 million would provide 100 scholarships of $25,000.   

“These funding initiatives will address the current workforce needs, and ensure we are well placed for the future,” Dr Halliday says. 

“As a College we advocate for appropriate incentives and remuneration that reflects the value of the services rural General Practitioners and Rural Generalists provide to communities where it is most needed.” 

ENDS