Author: Cathy Pares
Many of these rural towns have vulnerable children, such as young Xander from Walgett who suffered what could have been a fatal infection of fluid on the brain. Without the benefit of regular doctors and continuity of care, it was only Xander’s mother – and a local nurse who had cared for him as a baby – who realised something was wrong and organised a flight to Sydney for diagnosis and treatment.
The ABC has collected information which shows that five Local Health Districts spent more than $66 million in the 2019-20 period on FIFO doctors. Labor MP Walt Secord, a committee member for a NSW parliamentary inquiry into regional, rural and remote healthcare, acknowledges this as an ‘absolute waste of scare health services’.
According to rural GP Ian Spencer, from NSW’s Central West, country GP’s had been aware of a developing crisis for years. There is a serious shortage of staff right across the board in the healthcare system in many rural areas and the cost per shift to hire a locum doctor prevents the employment of other staff.
Drastic measures have been recommended including capping locums’ salaries and limiting the number of students who can train to become specialists, to encourage a move to general practice.
We await the NSW Government’s report from their regional health inquiry, due to be released on May 5. We also hope that NSW Regional Health Minister Bronnie Taylor will honour her commitment to listening to, and learning from, the issues raised.
Cost of FIFO doctors explodes in regional New South Wales – ABC News.
