Rural  doctors have released a five-point wishlist on what they would like from an incumbent Federal Government.

This comes as pundits predict a Federal election will be announced within the next six weeks.

The priorities set by the Rural Doctors Association of Australia (RDAA) set long and short term priorities focussed on giving regional communities better access to medical services, more local health services and shortened waiting times.

RDAA President, Dr RT Lewandowski, said rural Australians are tired of waiting. “They are tired of waiting to see a doctor. Tired of traveling for every single specialist visit. Tired of losing hospital services due to simple problems such as outdated air-conditioning. Tired of waiting for the government to actually fix these issues.

“What rural communities need and want when it comes to health services is simple: better access to medical services; more local health services; less waiting times.

“The rural GP shortage is real. The shortage of consultant specialists in rural areas is even worse. Existing rural medical facilities need upgrades. Mums and dads who are doctors and nurses in rural communities need help to be able to stay in the

Key priorities include:

• Train more rural doctors
• Get more specialists
• Build more work spaces
• Help medical parents stay in the workforce
• Plan for the future

“The Commonwealth has been investing in Rural Generalist training and this needs to keep happening,” Dr Lewandowski said.

“The number of rural training positions needs to be increased by 200, and the current investment, which has been highly successful, needs to be made into a long-term commitment"

And he said the shortage of rural specialists means patients have to travel or be retrieved which costs a fortune to the health system and to patients and their families.

"Rural consultant specialists need access to the same supports as rural GPs, and we need to reform the Specialist Training Program (STP) into something that actually works, because right now, it doesn’t,” Dr Lewandowski said.

Election call expected in March

Predictions are that the Federal election will be called in the latter half of March. That announcement will then precede six weeks of campaigning, in what commentators predict will be a tight race between the Labor Party and the Coalition.

The most recent polls show that the Coalition will be highly competitive, with gains made on leadership choice and policy announcements flagged.