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RURAL GENERALIST A MEDICAL SPECIALITY

Feb 16, 2018 | Latest News

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A landmark agreement has been reached to recognise the unique skill set of regional doctors and promote the career path as a specialty.

Federal Member for Gippsland Darren Chester said a national framework for rural generalist as a medical specialty would be developed to help recruit and retain more young people into the rural workforce.

He said local doctors had been working toward a specialty for regional doctors for many years and welcomed the agreement between the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners and the Australian College of Rural and Remote Medicine as an important step forward.

“General practitioners in regional areas do have a unique specialty skill set,” Mr Chester said.

“Regional doctors are faced with a wide range of complex medical challenges every day and often provide the only access to specialist medical services.

“A rural generalist pathway is an important step forward to recognise the advanced skill set of rural doctors and to encourage more young doctors into this career path.”

Minister for Rural Health, Senator Bridget McKenzie said Australians deserved high quality health care regardless of where they lived.

“We know many regional communities find it difficult to recruit and retain doctors and there is a maldistribution of the medical workforce which unfairly affects these areas,” Senator McKenzie said.

Senator McKenzie said whilst there was still work to be done to improve healthcare services in rural Australia, this was the first step to creating a lasting solution to the medical workforce issues that were facing rural communities.

“I congratulate RACGP President, Dr Bastian Seidel and ACRRM President, Professor Ruth Stewart for working together and reaching agreement to take this important pathway forward.”

National Rural Health Commissioner Professor Paul Worley said the Collingrove Agreement was the crucial first step to develop a National Rural Generalist Pathway.

“The two colleges agree on our goal, and they bring their combined strength to reach out together to Commonwealth, State and Territory Governments to build on the existing achievements to create the pathway and supports for a truly sustainable rural medical workforce – a basic human right for rural people and a requirement for long term economic growth in our regions,” Professor Worley said.

“Our two GP colleges have together recognised the critical role that rural generalists play in meeting the health needs of rural communities.

“Rural Australia needs great GPs. And rural Australia needs great rural generalists.”

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