{"id":8617,"date":"2020-10-09T02:15:24","date_gmt":"2020-10-09T02:15:24","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.16news.com.au\/?p=8617"},"modified":"2020-10-09T02:15:24","modified_gmt":"2020-10-09T02:15:24","slug":"budget-boosts-bush-health","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.16news.com.au\/index.php\/2020\/10\/09\/budget-boosts-bush-health\/","title":{"rendered":"Budget boosts bush health"},"content":{"rendered":"

Regional Australians will benefit from improved access to health services thanks to the Australian Government\u2019s $1.2 billion investment to boost healthcare in the bush in the 2020-21 Federal Budget.
\nFederal Regional Health Minister, Mark Coulton, said the significant regional health investment builds on reforms in place to expand rural training opportunities and address complex workforce challenges in rural communities.
\n\u201cWhether it is through training more health professionals in regional areas, supporting regional hospitals, or increasing access to mental health supports, the Government stands with regional and rural Australians,\u201d Minister Coulton said.
\n\u201cOur suite of reforms, including important investments in Budget 2020, focus on addressing this distribution challenge and investing in new approaches and localised solutions.\u201d
\nMinister Coulton said the 2020-21 Budget invests in new models of primary care and expands rural training opportunities to build the rural workforce of the future.
\n\u201cWe are breaking new ground by investing in unique, sub-regional models of primary care delivery to trial different approaches to addressing these perennial rural challenges,\u201d he said.
\n\u201cWe need to move beyond a one-size-fits-all approach, by handing local communities the tools to integrate services, increase their ability to support necessary health services and localise the solution.
\n\u201cThis is significantly different to traditional workforce solutions. We recognise the need to develop local workforces to meet the unique needs of rural and remote communities, better harness the resources at-hand, and ensure professionals have a supportive team is an important part of that.
\n\u201cNational Rural Health Commissioner, Ruth Stewart, will play a central role in overseeing the implementation and evaluation of these ready-to-go projects and will lead the identification and development of a further six similar projects across the country.\u201d
\nThe new models of primary care being funded through the 2020-21 Budget will utilise health services and professionals across like communities and test how novel approaches, including governance and program management, can better deliver health services to small, rural communities. This investment builds on the rollout of the Murrumbidgee Model for Rural Generalist trainees announced in May 2020.
\nEvidence shows that students, who train rurally, are more likely to live and work rurally, and this is fundamental to the Government\u2019s approach to developing a rural training pipeline.
\n\u201cWe are continuing to enhance rural training opportunities with $50.3 million to expand the
\nRural Health Multidisciplinary Training Program, including funding for a new University Department of Rural Health to support more nursing and allied health students to train in the regions,\u201d Minister Coulton said.
\n\u201cThis investment in rural training will also increase remote training opportunities and provide dedicated training spaces in aged care services.
\nThe 2020-21 Budget importantly continues to fund the Government\u2019s COVID-19 Health Response to manage the impact of the pandemic in rural Australia. The roll-out of 150 GP Respiratory Clinics, of which more than half are in regional centres, are critical to monitoring potential outbreaks and ensuring hospital and primary care networks continue operating as normal.
\n\u201cWhile cases remain low in regional communities, it is important we remain vigilant and be ready to respond if there is transmission in any of our regional communities,\u201d Minister Coulton said.
\n\u201cPerhaps the greatest revelation for rural and remote Australians during the pandemic has been the Government\u2019s fast-tracked expansion of temporary MBS Telehealth items.
\n\u201cWhile Telehealth doesn\u2019t replace face-to-face care, it is a valuable tool to tackle the peril of distance and has helped protect vulnerable patients and health professionals across the country through this pandemic.\u201d
\nMinister Coulton said the Government will continue to build on investments in this year\u2019s Budget through broader primary care and workforce reforms.
\n\u201cAs Australia\u2019s focus moves beyond the immediate response to the COVID-19 pandemic and into a long-term COVID safe recovery, regional Australia will benefit from this Government\u2019s commitment to them,\u201d Minister Coulton said.
\n\u201cThe Coalition is focused on delivering for regional Australia and is committed to building strong, safe, well\u2011serviced local communities for the future.\u201d
\nBackground:<\/strong>
\nThe 2020-21 Budget delivers significant investment to improve access to health services in regional, rural, and remote Australia, including the following measures:<\/p>\n