The Country Mayors Association (CMA) Chairman and Board are pushing a new plan for rural health in NSW proposed by Member for Wagga Wagga Dr Joe McGirr MP, and they are taking it to the top so rural and regional people can receive the care they deserve.

The ‘Better Care, Closer to Home’ Alliance’s Rural Health Action Plan, is a call for action aligning with concerns of Country Mayors and their communities.

The plan sits around rural and regional health services and how they can be improved to be equal to those of city counterparts.

“The Action Plan, as proposed by Member Dr Joe McGirr MP, aligns with the key priorities and concerns of CMA Members and their communities.

“We have written to Minister for Regional Health, the Hon Ryan Park MP to commend the practicalities and affordability of the Plan’s reforms to him,” Mayor Firman said.

“I understand Dr McGirr has put the plan to Minister Park in writing and they have had an initial discussion about it. I’m confident that constructive discourse will continue.”

CMA Chairman Mayor Rick Firman OAM, Wagga Wagga MP Dr Joe McGirr and NSW Local Government Minister the Hon Ron Hoenig MP. [Image CMA]

“People in rural and regional health services work hard and do the best they can but there’s no denying the system is crook and band-aid solutions are increasingly costly and short-term, like the locum situation.

“Greater collaboration between all aspects of the health sector is needed, including allied health service providers is needed, as is better communication between health services and their communities,” Mayor Firman said.

“The CMA motto is ‘what we want is nothing more than equity’ and that extends to access to critical health services.

"While we appreciate that there are currently parts of Sydney facing a shortage of doctors, we believe this is not as serious an access or equity issue as a rural mother-to-be having to drive more than 100 kms to reach a hospital with obstetric services.”

Bogan Shire Medical Centre - Mayor Glen Neill said their hands are tied without doctors [Image Bogan Shire Council]

Mayor of Bogan Shire Glen Neill is fully behind the plan and the members pushing for it.

“Anything that we can do to make government sit up and take notice and look after us in the bush a bit better with doctors, for example I’ll back 1000 per cent,” said Crl Neill.

“If we had more doctors more members of our community would be able to be treated at home without having to continually travel to Dubbo.

“We have a good medical centre and a great hospital, and we can’t get doctors to the hospital.

"We shouldn’t have to go to Dubbo to get three stitches in a cut finger, it’s ridiculous.

"We have a great hospital and we can’t use it,” said Crl Neill. “It’s very frustrating.”

Mayor of Bogan Shire Glen Neill [Image Bogan Shire Council]

Cobar Mayor Jarrod Marsden said Dr McGirr is an incredibly intelligent and practical person, and he supports his action plan for health.

"I especially strongly support the need to look inwardly and do better with the funding we have," said Crl Marsden.

'The government is spending 2 million dollars a year to fly people out of Cobar, and these numbers are reflected across Bourke, Nyngan, Walgett etc.

"Surely we can better spend this money on locally supplied services, but no matter what the problem, be it health, education, water, roads (the list goes on) the solution ultimately comes back to money and people on the ground, and at the moment both don't exist with no real long term solutions," Crl Marsden said

Cobar Mayor Jarrod Marsden [Image Western Plains App]

A collaborative partnership with Rural Doctors Network (RDN) saw a Health Access Survey shared with members to see where each community sat with its current healthcare.

A collaborative partnership with Rural Doctors Network (RDN) saw a Health Access Survey shared with members to see where each community sat with its current healthcare.

 “We are currently collating those responses to form a picture of service provision and interaction in remote, rural and regional NSW,” Mayor Firman said.

“It is our understanding that this is the first time in Australia that a survey of this nature has been undertaken.

"The CMA will use the results to determine future advocacy activities while the RDN will utilise the results to inform its strategic direction and project planning.”

The CMA Board supports all aspects of the Rural Health Action Plan, with the exception of its’ call for 'an independent commissioner', which was not considered necessary by the Board.

“We acknowledge that treatment and health access can involve a range of contemporary approaches, including pharmacy and nurse practitioners.

"However, these should help lighten an unsustainable load for a rural GP, not replace them.

"If there is one GP in a town, the days of demanding 24/7 access to them all year round is unsustainable and consequently retention becomes a bigger problem than recruitment,” said Mayor Firman.