The Murrumbidgee Local Health District primary health director says a report released today reveals nothing new about the inadequacies of health care in rural and remote NSW, but he is hopeful its recommendations will be applied.
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A NSW parliamentry inquiry has today handed down its long-awaited report into health outcomes and access to health and hospital services in rural, regional, and remote New South Wales.
Finley general practitioner Alam Yoosuff, who also sits on the board of Murrumbidgee Primary Health Network and Murrumbidgee Local Health District, said the report made 44 recommendations.
"This report, looking at their recommendations is telling a really revealing story, primary health care and rural remote health is funding short, workforce short and not high on policy agenda," he said.
"Overall they're saying that we need to do more to retain general practitioners in rural areas."
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"But now I think it might change a bit more than what I anticipated a few months ago, because of the fact that we have a rural and remote division of Health Ministry in NSW Health, Bronnie Taylor's new health ministry portfolio would certainly have to take care of a significant proportion of their recommendations as their day to day."
More than 700 submissions were made to the 322 page report, including a submission from the Edward River Council, which sought to highlight many of its residents traveling to Victoria for treatment and the difficulties of that during COVID-19 border closures, among other issues.
The report noted "that access and provision of health services in cross border regions is a complex and challenging issue, with the COVID-19 pandemic highlighting the problematic nature of these arrangements in relation to interruptions in service delivery, lack of data sharing and restrictions on workforce movement".
Edward River Council welcomed the findings.
"We trust the NSW Government will review the report and act upon its findings as a matter of priority to improve health outcomes for patients in the Edward River Council area and all rural, regional and remote areas," a spokesperson said.
The report is on the Parliament of NSW website.
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Victoria Ellis
Victoria Ellis grew up on the Border and loves reporting for her home community. She is a University of Wollongong Journalism graduate. In 2018 Victoria was awarded the Bruce Gordon Scholarship for Journalism and completed a 10 week internship with WIN News Illawarra. In 2019 she was awarded The Border Mail's Cameron Thompson Scholarship, where she completed a three week internship, before taking up ongoing employment in 2021.
Victoria Ellis grew up on the Border and loves reporting for her home community. She is a University of Wollongong Journalism graduate. In 2018 Victoria was awarded the Bruce Gordon Scholarship for Journalism and completed a 10 week internship with WIN News Illawarra. In 2019 she was awarded The Border Mail's Cameron Thompson Scholarship, where she completed a three week internship, before taking up ongoing employment in 2021.
