RWAV Interim CEO, Chris Scott, said it was an excellent opportunity to meet to discuss the challenges of recruiting and retaining a sustainable health workforce in rural Australia. âWe have been meeting with Victorian Federal rural MPs who have embraced our concerns for immediate and long term solutions. They understand what needs to be done to attract and retain a quality workforce to rural Victoria, and it was exciting to showcasing RWAVs achievements, successes and stories.â
âThere is a maldistribution of doctors in the city and the country. Something needs to happen. Medicare was supposed to be about creating equitable access to healthcare in Australia for Australians; it is just not working for rural Australia.â
Chair of the RWAV Board, Dr Yousuf Ahmad, said the response from MPs was encouraging. âVictorians living in rural areas do not have the same access to healthcare services as residents in metropolitan areas, and as a result, there is a significant disparity in health outcomes. There are over 139 GP vacancies in rural Victoria, and the GP to patient ratio across rural Victoria remains too high. There was a real appetite from the members of parliament to fix the issues.â
RWAV discussed options including investing in specific block funding for rural general practices to deliver team-based care, expanding locum support programs to include nursing and allied health to enable health professionals to provide quality health care in rural communities, and closing legislative loopholes for after-hours and medical deputising services.
RWAV is continuing discussions with Victorian Members of Parliament and welcomes the opportunity to collaborate further.