Geetha Ranmuthugala, Armidale |
There are many factors contributing to the GP and primary healthcare situation that Armidale is currently experiencing. The outdated Medicare model, siloed healthcare system, together with decisions made by the University of New England (UNE) and the Armidale Council are all, in some way or the other, responsible for the plight of this beautiful regional centre in NSW.
UNE was the first university to be established in regional Australia. While it does not have a stand-alone medical school, the University has been training doctors in a regional and rural setting for over 10 years now through the strong partnership it has with the University of Newcastle. This was Australia’s first Joint Medical Program. Graduating around 60 doctors each year, this partnership has been a leader in training medical students in regional and rural NSW. Unfortunately, the health system is not set up to allow these graduates to stay locally to complete their junior doctor training in Armidale and its footprint.
The Armidale Council and the University should be working together with the Armidale Rural Referral Hospital to create a model that would support the recruitment of rural students and junior doctors to train and stay locally. It is a complex problem involving various stakeholders funded through Federal and State Government initiatives. However, Armidale has the necessary stakeholders including a rural medical school, a partnership with a well-established medical school recognised and reputed for training of rural doctors, a regional hospital, a medical centre across from the Hospital and operated by the University, and Australia’s first regional University. Add to the mix a small number of committed medical practitioners who believe in rural training and rural practice. Yet, the politics take upper hand preventing this regional centre from being an example of how rural communities can receive quality healthcare close to home.