EndocrinologyRDAA Survey Shows Widespread Support For Medicare Loading For Rural And Remote Doctors
Over 80% of rural and remote doctors recently surveyed by the Rural Doctors Association of Australia (RDAA) believe adding a significant rural and remote loading on Medicare items would assist in recruiting and retaining doctors in their communities.
The online poll conducted by RDAA during April and May backs RDAA"s ongoing call for an extra loading to be added to Medicare fees paid to rural and remote doctors.
RDAA President Dr Nola Maxfield said the poll showed rural Australia needed "better incentives that demonstrate to doctors currently working in the bush they are valued, and shows those considering a move to the bush that it is an attractive option".
"We have to do something significant, and urgently, to turn around the declining number of doctors in the bush," Dr Maxfield said.
"Incentives would be calculated as a loading on rural doctors" Medicare billings or as a special payment for salaried rural doctors. The loading would increase the more remote the location the doctors worked in.
"The Federal Government must look seriously at building a rural loading into Medicare."
The RDAA survey paints a clear picture of the existing rural medical workforce crisis and the significant concerns over the sustainability of the workforce.
When asked if their rural town or community had enough doctors to service the health and medical needs of its residents nearly 60% of respondents described their towns as "underserviced" and 9% said they were "severely underserviced".
One respondent drolly remarked, "clone the doctors!"
A considerable number of the rural and remote medical workforce polled reported overwhelming on-call demands, with 17% on call seven days a week. Nearly 30% of the workforce was on-call at least one day a week.
The average weekly hours worked by the doctors surveyed, was a staggering 47.4 hours. This compares with the national weekly hours worked of 34.7 hours.
Much of the feedback received as part of the survey reflected these views, with comments such as this one common, "...until rural and remote work is reclassified as a specialty nothing will change."
Along with calling for a rural loading on Medicare items as a remedy for the current workforce shortage, the survey found doctors want a range of other supports, including improved after-hours and on-call arrangements, better education and professional supports, better locum availability, capital funding to improve practice
infrastructure and nearly 100% of respondents reported family friendly working arrangements as important or very important.
Feedback provided as part of the survey also reflects frustrations with health and hospital administration, with comments such as this: "...sack the bureaucrats and replace them with clinicians who understand healthcare delivery ..." and this: "...anaesthetists should run hospitals, plan theatres - not accountants or business men who do not actually work in health care."
The comments also reflect dissatisfaction at the loss of rural health facilities, in comments like this "...replace lost maternity service."
Rural Doctors Association of Australia