The recent closure of the Walgett and Lightning Ridge doctor surgeries was not surprising to Walgett Shire Council Mayor Jane Keir, but a telling indictment on the state of rural health nevertheless. 

While the announcement of the closure of the two Rural and Remote Medical Services (RARMS) was only made last week, Cr Keir said that the clinic had essentially closed their doors months ago. 

“Once upon a time your doctor did have VMO (visiting medical officers) rights. But the government has changed all that and this funding is hopeless and totally detrimental to rural communities,” Cr Keir said. 

With RARMS losing their VMO rights after 25 years, their service was unviable in the community, with doctors unwilling to move to regional areas without the financial incentive that comes with having VMO rights to work in the local hospital or MPS (multi purpose health service). 

While Walgett and Lightning Ridge will likely be able to continue with Ochre still operating in the towns, it is the difficulties attracting and retaining doctors that is becoming commonplace in rural communities under the current VMO funding structure. 

“Now with Ochre (in Walgett), we don’t have a permanent GP, we have visiting locums. Particularly for the aged population, that’s extremely distressing that they don’t see the same doctor twice in two weeks,” Cr Keir said. 

Following the announcement of the closure, RARMS hosted a community forum in Lightning Ridge to elaborate on what had made the charity close their doors. 

RARMS CEO Mark Burdack there was an obvious sadness in the community for what it has come to. 

“People would say they felt that the system wasn’t supporting them. There wasn’t a lot of anger towards RARMS, but there was disappointment,” Mr Burdack said. 

“Nobody’s done anything to try and address the decline of services in rural areas despite knowing that we’ve lost three quarters of our doctors (in rural and remote NSW) in 10 years,” he said.

That three quarters accounts for 600 of 800 existing GPs who have left rural and remote NSW. 

“Locum rates have tripled in the last year reflecting the growing shortage of rural and remote GPs making remote practices unsustainable,” Mr Burdack said. 

The closure of RARMS came with a trade off made with Ochre, that RARMS would leave Walgett and Lightning Ridge provided the VMO in Collarenebri could be handed back to the local RARMS doctor who is eager to stay in the area. 

While the deal is yet to be signed off on in Minister for Regional Health Bronnie Taylor’s office, Mr Burdack said that the Western NSW Local Health District has made contact and is eager to proceed with the deal.