Rural Health Minister Visits Regional South Australia to Consider Health Reform
The Minister for Rural and Regional Health, Warren Snowdon, met with local health professionals in Ceduna, South Australia, to consult on the national priorities and options for health reform.
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29 January 2010
The Minister for Rural and Regional Health, Warren Snowdon, met with local health professionals in Ceduna, off the west coast of South Australia, to consult on the national priorities and options for health reform.
Mr Snowdon toured Ceduna Hospital and outlined the Commonwealth’s $134.4 million Rural Workforce Strategy.
“One of the biggest challenges for rural and remote areas is attracting and retaining doctors, and the Rural Workforce Strategy is specifically designed to help alleviate those problems.
“A key part of the strategy is the General Practice Rural Incentives Program which comes into play in July this year. It will mean eligible GPs in Port Lincoln and Ceduna will be offered retention grants starting from $5,500 to $8,000 respectively after six months.
“In Port Lincoln this will grow to $27,000 per year after five years of service and for the more remote doctors in Ceduna it equates to $47,000 per year for the same period.
“Furthermore from 1 July 2010, a doctor who relocates from a major city to Port Lincoln will also be provided with a relocation grant of up to $60,000 and those who move to Ceduna will receive double that,” Mr Snowdon said.
At today’s consultation, Mr Snowdon gave a presentation outlining the findings of the final report of the National Health and Hospitals Reform Commission, A Healthier Future for All Australians. The report has made wide-ranging recommendations for system-wide changes to Australian health care.
Mr Snowdon outlined the recommendations to local health professionals and discussed their suggestions and priorities for improving the delivery of health services.
“Health is important to all Australians which is why we have held consultations throughout the country on what will be the biggest reform to our health system since Medicare,” Mr Snowdon said.
All Australians can contribute to the discussion on the reforms via the website www.yourHealth.gov.au where copies of the reports can also be found.
Media contact: Alice Plate 0400 045 999 or alice.plate@health.gov.au
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