It is becoming more and more apparent that Australians living in rural and regional areas often find it difficult to access the medical care they need. For rural Australians trying to access specialist medical services, the lack of appropriate health infrastructure can increase the likely occurrence of poor health outcomes and compound their stress.
In 2019, the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare’s report into rural and remote health included some startling figures. While in major cities there were 143 specialists for every 100,000 people, in very remote areas there were just 22 specialists for the same number of people.
Likewise, in 2021, the Australian Medical Association (NSW) expressed concern over the lack of surgical specialists, rheumatologists, neurologists, dermatologists and psychiatrists in regional and rural areas.
The difficulty obtaining medical assistance for cancer treatment exemplifies regional Australian’s struggle to access specialist services. In 2020, the Cancer Assistance Network made a submission to the NSW Parliament Inquiry into health outcomes and access to health and hospital services in rural, regional and remote New South Wales. The submission detailed the shocking reality of the plight of regional cancer patients. Patients diagnosed with cancer in towns such as Moree, Nyngan and Bega were required to travel up to 600km return to access radiotherapy treatment.
The increased cost, stress and separation from family, friends and community are generally not issues experienced by patients living in major cities.
While we welcome the Morrison Government’s recent announcement to invest over $4 million to increase access to specialists in rural areas and to encourage more specialists to undertake training in rural areas, we remain concerned this may not fully address the issue. The inequity in available services requires urgent resolution to ensure patients choosing to live in regional and remote communities are no longer disadvantaged.
