A Home for Rural Health Professionals in Katherine

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PDF printable version of A Home for Rural Health Professionals in Katherine (PDF 18 KB)

11 September 2009

The Centre for Remote Health is setting up a home in Katherine to help attract health professionals to the Northern Territory, thanks to the Rudd Government.

Minister for Indigenous Health, Rural and Regional Health, and Regional Services Delivery, the Hon. Warren Snowdon joined the house-warming launch today in Katherine and said the $407,000 investment in staff accommodation is in addition to more than $2 million in Federal Government funding to help run the centre.

“The Centre for Remote Health brings together the Flinders and Charles Darwin Universities to provide quality tertiary education, training and research, specifically focused on remote health services,” Mr Snowdon said.

“It encourages students of medicine, nursing and allied health disciplines to pursue a career in rural Australia by giving them the opportunity to practice their clinical skills out bush, as well as offering existing health professionals training support and research opportunities.

“The new staff quarters will help encourage academics to relocate to Katherine to ensure the highest-quality teaching is available for students.”

Mr Snowdon said it is towns like Katherine, offering both life within a wonderful community along with access to incredible natural beauty, that can show the health professionals of tomorrow how satisfying and varied working in Australia’s outback can be.

“Combined with the purchase last year of student residential housing in Katherine for the Northern Territory Rural Clinical School, there can be no doubt that this Government is committed to developing effective workforce incentives and initiatives to improve access to primary health care for rural and remote Australians,” Mr Snowdon said.

“This year’s Federal Budget is delivering more than $206 million in help to tackle the shortage of doctors and health workers, and from education through to ongoing support for doctors out bush there’s never been a better time to join the rural health workforce.”

The Centre for Remote Health Katherine house will be refurbished for staff in time for the start of the 2010 academic year.

Media contact: Kate Sieper 0488 484 689.