Doctors on the rise in Rural Queensland

Published Saturday, 12 September, 2015 at 08:30 AM

Minister for Health and Minister for Ambulance Services
The Honourable Cameron Dick

Rural Queensland is set to benefit from a surge in doctors with the Rural Generalist Pathway expanding to train up to 400 doctors over the next three years, with a focus on better training and increasing gender diversity.  

Minister for Health and Ambulance Services Cameron Dick today addressed the inaugural Rural Generalist Clinical Forum in Roma marking the 10-year anniversary since the concept of a training pathway for rural doctors was first discussed by a group of forward-thinking clinicians and stakeholders.

That initial discussion in 2005, known as the “Roma Agreement”, led to the establishment of the Rural Generalist Pathway, now hosted by the Darling Downs Hospital and Health Service.

“Ten years on from the ‘Roma Agreement’, I am pleased to say that great progress has been made,” Mr Dick said.

“At the moment, there are 225 doctors at various stages in the pathway, but by 2019, there will be 400 doctors, making it the biggest program of its type in the world.

“The profile of those undertaking the program is also changing. Rural doctors have generally been male, but over 60 per cent of next year’s intake are women.”

The Rural Generalist Pathway aims to provide a defined training program for doctors who are interested in practising in rural or remote areas across the state. 

By providing these opportunities and support, the program is also making headway in addressing the problem of rural doctor shortages.

“The pathway is meeting the needs of local communities through the reduction of medical vacancies, enabling the expansion of service delivery and is making these services more accessible and affordable to local residents,” Mr Dick said.

Mr Dick said the forum was a good occasion to look to the future to further build the rural and remote medical workforce.

“The pathway’s focus on anaesthetic and obstetric advanced skills training has served it well in the early phases,” Mr Dick said.

“But it is time to look towards the future need for rural generalists with skills in internal medicine, indigenous health and mental health to try and combat the vast chronic disease burden our country faces.

“I know the team is looking at how to achieve this by investigating innovative training solutions to accommodate the increase in trainees and immerse junior medical officers in rural practice through the Prevocational Integrated Extended Rural Clinical Experience placements.

“I look forward to hearing how the discussions planned for this forum can contribute to ensuring the pathway continues to meet the needs of rural communities for many decades to come.”

The forum will run until 13 September and has attracted 100 delegates from across the nation.

The delegates will hear from a variety of health professionals about the challenges and benefits of working and living in rural and remote areas, as well as take part in a number of professional development courses and training.

 

ENDS

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