Published Tuesday, 05 June, 2007 at 02:30 PM
Minister for Health
The Honourable Stephen Robertson
MORE FUNDS FOR FLYING DOCS AND RURAL SPECIALISTS
The Beattie Government will improve medical services in the bush through additional funding for the Royal Flying Doctor Service and extra doctors specialising in rural practice.
Health Minister Stephen Robertson said this year’s State Budget would increase Queensland Health’s annual RFDS funding from $16.5 million to $29.3 million.
Mr Robertson said $18.3 million over four years would also be invested through Queensland Health for five more ‘rural generalist’ positions in 2007/08 with more positions funded in the following years.
“The Royal Flying Doctor Service is a national icon and has served thousands of Australians in need of emergency medical treatment and transport so well over the past 79 years,” he said.
“Nowhere is the service more vital than in Queensland with a vast land mass and the most widely dispersed population in Australia.
“Every year the RFDS in Queensland treat more than 81,000 patients including 9,000 emergency retrievals and transfers from one hospital to another.
“Statewide they covered a total of 5.4 million kilometres.
“However, as the costs of air travel and medical treatment have increased, so have the funding requirements of the RFDS.”
Mr Robertson said Queensland Health will increase aeromedical funding by $12.8 million in 2007-08 with the RFDS as the preferred provider. Where the RFDS does not have the capacity to reach activity targets, alternative providers will be contracted.
He said the RFDS, with State and Commonwealth funding, will provide several services in Queensland including:
• Emergency retrieval services from the Brisbane, Rockhampton, Bundaberg and Townsville bases;
• Traditional services such as primary health care clinics, inter-hospital transfers; child health and immunisation clinics and training rural and remote health care professionals;
• Medical staff to work some shifts in Rockhampton Hospital’s emergency department as well as assisting Queensland Health’s own aeromedical and state emergency retrieval system; and
• A range of medical services in the Cape York region through Queensland Health and funding and Medicare arrangements.
“This latest funding boost follows Beattie Government funding totalling $24 million in 2004 to purchase three new aircraft for the RFDS with the latest in aeromedical technology,” Mr Robertson said.
“More recently, the State Government approved the purchase of a fourth RFDS aircraft.
“In addition to the RFDS funding, Careflight Medical Services will receive additional annual funding of $1.47 million to help fulfil its role in emergency retrievals in Queensland.”
Mr Robertson said five additional rural generalist positions would be allocated through close planning with Queensland Health’s area health services.
“It follows five positions funded in last year’s budget and will take our rural generalist ranks towards 100,” he said.
“Over the next four years, our Government is investing more than $27 million into building and supporting our rural generalist workforce.
“Rural generalists are an emerging type of specialist doctor able to carry out a range of advanced skills such as delivering babies, administering anesthetics and performing some surgery.
“They are credentialed to serve in hospital-based and community-based primary medical practice as well as practice in at least one specialist medical discipline, such as obstetrics.
“By developing Rural General Medicine as a specialty career path, we will create more locally-trained specialist doctors to live and work in the bush.
“This will help reduce our reliance on overseas-trained doctors and visiting junior doctors to provide medical services in rural and remote communities.”
Mr Robertson said not only would the additional specialists boost medical services in the bush, they were vital in training the next wave of rural generalists.
“This year, we have 29 interns undertaking prevocational training as a first step in becoming a rural generalist,” he said.
“We also have 33 registrars training to obtain fellowship with the Australian College of Rural and Remote Medicine – some of which will advance to become rural generalists.”
5 June, 2007
MEDIA: PAUL LYNCH 3234 1190
Health Minister Stephen Robertson said this year’s State Budget would increase Queensland Health’s annual RFDS funding from $16.5 million to $29.3 million.
Mr Robertson said $18.3 million over four years would also be invested through Queensland Health for five more ‘rural generalist’ positions in 2007/08 with more positions funded in the following years.
“The Royal Flying Doctor Service is a national icon and has served thousands of Australians in need of emergency medical treatment and transport so well over the past 79 years,” he said.
“Nowhere is the service more vital than in Queensland with a vast land mass and the most widely dispersed population in Australia.
“Every year the RFDS in Queensland treat more than 81,000 patients including 9,000 emergency retrievals and transfers from one hospital to another.
“Statewide they covered a total of 5.4 million kilometres.
“However, as the costs of air travel and medical treatment have increased, so have the funding requirements of the RFDS.”
Mr Robertson said Queensland Health will increase aeromedical funding by $12.8 million in 2007-08 with the RFDS as the preferred provider. Where the RFDS does not have the capacity to reach activity targets, alternative providers will be contracted.
He said the RFDS, with State and Commonwealth funding, will provide several services in Queensland including:
• Emergency retrieval services from the Brisbane, Rockhampton, Bundaberg and Townsville bases;
• Traditional services such as primary health care clinics, inter-hospital transfers; child health and immunisation clinics and training rural and remote health care professionals;
• Medical staff to work some shifts in Rockhampton Hospital’s emergency department as well as assisting Queensland Health’s own aeromedical and state emergency retrieval system; and
• A range of medical services in the Cape York region through Queensland Health and funding and Medicare arrangements.
“This latest funding boost follows Beattie Government funding totalling $24 million in 2004 to purchase three new aircraft for the RFDS with the latest in aeromedical technology,” Mr Robertson said.
“More recently, the State Government approved the purchase of a fourth RFDS aircraft.
“In addition to the RFDS funding, Careflight Medical Services will receive additional annual funding of $1.47 million to help fulfil its role in emergency retrievals in Queensland.”
Mr Robertson said five additional rural generalist positions would be allocated through close planning with Queensland Health’s area health services.
“It follows five positions funded in last year’s budget and will take our rural generalist ranks towards 100,” he said.
“Over the next four years, our Government is investing more than $27 million into building and supporting our rural generalist workforce.
“Rural generalists are an emerging type of specialist doctor able to carry out a range of advanced skills such as delivering babies, administering anesthetics and performing some surgery.
“They are credentialed to serve in hospital-based and community-based primary medical practice as well as practice in at least one specialist medical discipline, such as obstetrics.
“By developing Rural General Medicine as a specialty career path, we will create more locally-trained specialist doctors to live and work in the bush.
“This will help reduce our reliance on overseas-trained doctors and visiting junior doctors to provide medical services in rural and remote communities.”
Mr Robertson said not only would the additional specialists boost medical services in the bush, they were vital in training the next wave of rural generalists.
“This year, we have 29 interns undertaking prevocational training as a first step in becoming a rural generalist,” he said.
“We also have 33 registrars training to obtain fellowship with the Australian College of Rural and Remote Medicine – some of which will advance to become rural generalists.”
5 June, 2007
MEDIA: PAUL LYNCH 3234 1190