More Emergency Medicine Training For Rural Doctors, Australia
April 18, 2007 – 10:36 am | posted in Public HealthFrom 16 April, the Commonwealth Government will increase training support in emergency medicine procedures for procedural GPs practising in the bush.
The increased assistance will be available as part of the Training for Rural and Remote Procedural GPs Program, which supports rural and remote GPs doing procedural work that specialists carry out in urban areas.
The $75 million program is part of the Strengthening Medicare package. It provides funding which allows GP proceduralists practising in rural and remote areas to train and maintain their skills in fields such as surgery, anaesthetics, obstetrics and emergency medicine.
From 16 April the emergency medicine component will be expanded to include RRMA 3 locations which includes large rural centres such as Lismore, Toowoomba, Dubbo, Wagga, Bendigo, Ballarat and Whyalla. At the same time, the maximum number of days supported each year will increase from two to three. These measures will be backdated to 1 January 2007.
As well, from 16 April, the maximum value of all grants will increase from $1,500 per day to $2,000 per day.
Many communities outside the metropolitans areas rely on well-trained, experienced GPs to provide surgical, anaesthetic, obstetric and emergency services.
By supporting rural GPs who provide these kinds of procedural and emergency medicine services, the Government is helping rural families to have access to high-quality health services in their own communities.
The Australian College of Rural and Remote Medicine and the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners will continue to assess GPs and training activity eligibility for the program. Payments to GPs will be administered by Medicare Australia.
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