$54.4 investment to boost clinical training in regional Australia
The Federal Coalition Government has allocated $54.4 million over 2016-17 to 2018-19 for new Regional Training Hubs and University Departments of Rural Health (UDRH). Assistant Minister for Health, Dr David Gillespie, announced the locations of 26 regional training hubs and 3 new UDRHs and the universities that will operate them.
The University of Notre Dame would establish UDRHs in Broome and the Kimberley in Western Australia, Charles Sturt University in southern and central New South Wales, and the University of Queensland in South-East Queensland. Each of these Departments will support current health workforce priorities in their region, and expand support for clinical placement activity for nursing, midwifery, dental or allied health students.
Minister Gillespie said that these hubs will work with local health services to help move medical students through the pipeline, enabling students to continue rural training through university into postgraduate medical training, and then working within rural Australia.
The announcement has been welcomed by Medical Deans Australia and New Zealand as they have long advocated for a regionally based specialist training model with a city rotation.
Professor Richard Murray, acting President of Medical Deans Australia and New Zealand, said “Rural clinical schools and regional medical schools have been delivering graduates who would like to live and work in regional and remote Australia. What has been missing is the opportunity for them to train as specialists and GPs in the areas that most need them.”
The Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP) also welcomed the program, saying that they are looking forward to supporting the hubs by providing access to their vast member base on the ground, their established GP-led multidisciplinary teaching teams and expertise on governance committees.
RACGP President, Dr Bastian Seidel, said “A key to the success of each training hub will be its partnerships at the local level including its partnership with RACGP Rural and the integration of its teaching resources with the faculty’s teaching resources.”
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