ALP matches Coalition $146m health package to incentivise doctors to go rural

Both major parties have now said they will invest $146 million in building a sustainable medical workforce in rural and remote Australia.

The critical shortage of general practitioners in regional Australia was flagged early in the campaign as an election issue and Deputy Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce and Regional Health Minister David Gillespie this week revealed that the funding would revolve around training doctors in the bush or incentivising them to go rural.

A day later, opposition health spokesman Mark Butler announced that Labor would match that funding for training and incentivisation purposes, saying the party had already announced it would make it easier for regional Australia to recruit overseas trained doctors and doctors in the bonded medical program.

"Our Medicare Urgent Care Clinics will make it easier for regional Australians to see a doctor when they need it and take pressure off overwhelmed emergency departments," he said.

An Albanese Labor government would include Medicare Urgent Care Clinics in Cairns and Rockhampton.

The restoration of telehealth psychiatric consultations for people living in regional and rural Australia had already been announced by the ALP, with Mr Butler saying that was in response to the difficulty people had to see a doctor in rural and regional Australia.

Much of his comment was directed at the Coalition's freezing of the Medicare rebate for six years.

"Scott Morrison ripped billions of dollars from general practice, causing gap fees to skyrocket," he said.

"The Morrison government has repeatedly cut and undermined Medicare, including cutting rural and regional bulk billing incentives, and in 2019 Scott Morrison cut access of outer-metro and regional Australia to bonded and overseas trained doctors, making GP shortages much worse.

Mr Butler repeated his claim that under the Morrison government it had never been harder or more expensive to see a doctor, especially in rural and regional Australia, which AAP Factcheck has said was largely incorrect.

IN OTHER NEWS:

Rural Doctors Association of Australia president Megan Belot said rural doctors were beyond excited by the announcement.

"Yesterday we said we were thrilled with the Coalition announcement, but there is always the uncertainty of who will form government," Dr Belot said.

"Today we are thrilled, excited and relieved that this election promise has been matched by Labor, guaranteeing a bright future for quality medical care in rural and remote communities."

She said the commitment from both would increase the Workforce Incentive Program payments for medical practitioners who provide care to rural and remote communities, and will result in these doctors receiving increased loadings to their remuneration that recognises the provision of quality general practice, emergency and advanced skill services.

"The increase of 50 John Flynn Prevocational Doctor Program positions will increase the number of junior doctors gaining critically important rural experience from 800 to 1000 each year," she said.

"The 50 additional rural advanced skill training posts for rural generalists will build the medical workforce in areas such as obstetrics, anaesthetics and surgery, as well as other areas desperately needed by rural communities such as mental health and paediatrics.

"These are key initiatives that have been proposed and supported by RDAA, and we are beyond excited to see them get a guernsey with both parties in the lead up to the election," Dr Belot said.

READ MORE: Camera outdo humans on Meandarra feedlot