Member for Mallee Anne Webster MP welcomes today’s announcement that one-hundred additional training places have been allocated to the Australian College of Rural and Remote Medicine (ACRRM) to train more rural generalist doctors.
“Rural generalists are a key component to getting more doctors into the regions.” Dr Webster said. “It is an important part of the plan for overall regional healthcare reform that I am fighting for.”
“The research shows that doctors who train in the bush are more likely to stay and work in the bush at the completion of their training. This applies not just to Doctors, but to other allied health professionals as well.
“I had the opportunity to meet with Dr Dr Ewan McPhee and Ms Marita Cowie from the Australian College of Rural and Remote Medicine this week in Canberra to discuss the Rural Generalist program. They described the important role that this type of training played in practices and in establishing a sustainable GP workforce in regional Australia.
“The Australian Government focused on addressing the maldistribution of doctors in the bush, and this announcement further demonstrates our commitment to supporting more regional doctor training to better care for our regional, rural and remote communities,” Dr Webster said.
“Expanding the training will ensure there is pipeline of rural generalists coming through to support a viable and sustainable workforce.
The additional 100 places were announced in the 2018-19 Budget as part of the transformational $550million Stronger Rural Health Strategy. Today, the first places have been allocated to the ACRRM. The announcement includes funding for an additional 100 GP training places for rural
Dr Anne Webster MP
Member for Mallee
