RDAA Press Release: Budget again fails the bush: More doctors to walk away.
The Rural Doctors Association of Australia (RDAA) says the federal budget has again ignored the medical workforce crisis in rural and remote communities.
“The Government just doesn’t get it. It has failed to listen and engage in any meaningful discussion on fixing the problems in rural health. Doctors and other health workers are losing hope that there is light at the end of the tunnel and will simply drop out of services or even leave their towns” RDAA President, Dr Paul Mara, said.
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RDAA Press Release: Availability for budget commentary
A reminder that Rural Doctors Association of Australia (RDAA) representatives are available today, tonight and tomorrow to provide budget commentary from a rural health perspective.
RDAA CEO, Jenny Johnson, will also be available to provide interviews at Parliament House in Canberra tomorrow.
Please call Patrick Daley on 0408 004 890 to organise interviews.
Please find below RDAA's budget submission for 2012-13 and two budget-related media releases already issued by RDAA.
Submission
RDAA Press Release: Federal budget 2012 - no time to let rural health slip through the cracks
Rural doctors are urging the Federal Government to invest more in the rural health sector in tomorrow’s federal budget, saying it not only makes sense from a health perspective but also from an economic one.
In its pre-budget submission lodged earlier this year, the Rural Doctors Association of Australia (RDAA) called on the Government to implement measures to address the continuing shortage of rural health professionals and associated poorer health outcomes for rural and remote Australians.
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RDAA Press Release: Government inaction on "policy wreck" flabbergasting, as more doctors leave the bush
The Rural Doctors Association of Australia (RDAA) says it is “flabbergasted beyond belief” that the Federal Government continues to do nothing while a “policy wreck” of its creation continues to wreak havoc across rural and remote Australia.
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RDAA Press Release: E-health: not just a flick of a switch for overworked doctors
The Rural Doctors Association of Australia (RDAA) has cautioned the Federal Government that the Personally Controlled E-Health Record (PCEHR) system will fail unless doctors and practices are fairly compensated for the time and risk involved in establishing and maintaining e-health records for their patients.
RDAA has joined a range of other medical organisations in calling for better support for doctors and practices in implementing the new system.
Attachments:
RDAA Press Release: RDAA to recommend that rural doctors charge patients for PCEHR work
The Rural Doctors Association of Australia (RDAA) says while it welcomes the establishment of the Patient Controlled Electronic Health Records (PCEHR) system, it is likely to recommend that rural doctors charge patients their own non-rebatable fee to cover the costs of establishing and maintaining patients’ electronic health records in the system.
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RDAA Press Release: Inquiry shows OTDs not a workforce solution for rural Australia
The Rural Doctors Association of Australia (RDAA) has welcomed recognition by a federal inquiry that more needs to be done to better assist, support and supervise Overseas Trained Doctors (OTDs) seeking to register and work in Australia.
The report of the Inquiry into Registration Processes and Support for Overseas Trained Doctors— undertaken by the House of Representatives Standing Committee on Health and Ageing—makes various recommendations to increase the transparency, fairness and accountability of registration processes for OTDs.
Attachments:
RDAA Press Release: Rural doctors to hold national breakfast briefing for federal politicians tomorrow
Parliament House, Canberra Wednesday 29 February 2012
(Media—please refer to ‘notes to media’ at end of release)
The Rural Doctors Association of Australia (RDAA) will hold a national breakfast briefing for federal politicians at Parliament House in Canberra tomorrow (Wednesday 29 February 2012).
This is the third such annual briefing to be held by RDAA and coincides with the 25th anniversary year of the rural doctors movement in Australia.
RDAA Press Release: "Time to get real" on rural health funding, doctors urge in budget lead-up
The President of the Rural Doctors Association of Australia (RDAA) has warned the Federal Government that the time has come to “get real” on funding for rural healthcare.
In its pre-budget submission for the 2012-13 federal budget, RDAA has put forward a range of initiatives to address the continuing shortage of rural health professionals and associated poorer health outcomes for rural and remote Australians.
It has warned that the current health policy framework is failing to meet the needs of rural and remote communities and requires an urgent overhaul.
RDAA Press Release: Safe working for country professionals: National survey launched
A national survey has been launched today as part of an innovative project, Working Safe in Rural and Remote Australia.
The project aims to explore a community-based approach to reduce workplace violence and improve safety for rural and remote health professionals, teachers and police.