Australian rural doctors welcome the announcement of a streamlined Rural General Practice Grants (RGPG) program, announced by Dr David Gillespie, Assistant Minister for Rural Health.
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Dr Ewen McPhee, president of the Rural Doctors Association of Australia (RDAA), said the announcement was a reflection of the importance the Coalition Government places on rural and remote health care.
“We are extremely pleased that Minister Gillespie has been so proactive in his Rural Health portfolio, and he has shown a great understanding of the need for increased training facilities to enable the education of the next generation of rural doctors,” Dr McPhee said.
“The RGPG will allow more of our highly skilled doctors in rural areas to improve their training capacity, allowing them to take on more young doctors in training and ensure they have access to quality educational opportunities in rural areas.
“Research shows us that young doctors who undertake training in rural areas, and have a good experience in their placement, are more likely to choose rural medicine as a career. Grants enabling doctors to improve and expand their training facilities will play a key role in the recruitment and retention of the rural doctor workforce of the future.”
While infrastructure grants have been available for some time, the application process was onerous, putting it out of the reach of many small practices.
