The Rural Doctors Association of Australia has met with the Federal Government to ensure that it has a more significant say in health decisions after the rural health portfolio was scrapped.
According to the Association's President Nola Maxfield’s suggestion to Health Minister Nicola Roxon, a national rural training program needs to be set up to train more young doctors to work in country areas. She wanted 100 of the new GP training places allocated to regional areas.
Dr Maxfield said the trainees need to undergo a five-year course alongside experienced doctors. She said, “If these doctors are interested in becoming rural doctors in the future, then yes, we do have the people there who are willing and able to train them… But we do have to start this process now, because over the next five to 10 years we will be seeing those experienced rural doctors starting to retire.”
Dr Maxfield concluded saying that the association was looking forward to build on the work that the rural independents have already done to get rural health on the agenda.