“According to the NSW Rural Doctors Network, the number of GPs working in rural NSW has declined from 800 to 200 in the last ten years,” Mrs Dalton said.
“If we don’t act now, we won’t have any rural doctors left by 2030.”
“I’m backing a call from the Rural and Remote Medical Services Ltd Charity for a $300 million Federal Government injection to keep rural GP services viable while we address the long-term solutions needed to attract GPs to rural areas.”
Mrs Dalton says the Federal Government’s Medicare rebates have not kept pace with the cost of medical services, meaning many rural GP services were no longer viable.
“This, combined with the lack of overseas-trained doctors coming to Australia due to COVID, has created a rural health crisis,” Mrs Dalton said.
“Small rural GP services are having to spend up to $3000 a week on locums. They simply can’t afford such huge costs.
“Already, my constituents in Griffith, Hay, Hillston, Leeton, Moama and Deniliquin are reporting that they may have to wait up to four weeks for an appointment with their GP.
“This will only get worse if we don’t act now.”
Mrs Dalton said a $300 million jobkeeper-type program, as advocated by the Rural and Remote Medical Services, was an essential short-term measure.
“The $300 million would be used to fund support staff in small council-funded and family-run GP practices across regional NSW,” she said.
“Big corporations would not be eligible.
“The next step would be for the Federal Government to look at long-term solutions to the rural GP shortage.
“This could include having higher Medicate rebates in rural and remote areas, and fast-tracking accreditation processes for overseas-trained doctors.
“We must act now as rural health care is in a perilous state.”
