LABOR does not understand the regional health care crisis – nor does it acknowledge it.
None of the measures announced by the Health Minister this week will make a jot of difference to the critical needs in Mallee communities.
Workforce shortage is the number one issue. Health Minister Mark Butler’s promise of 6000 nurses to gain experience in primary care practices simply does not change the dire state of workforce numbers.
It’s a great headline detached from the reality of the shortages across regional health-care settings.
Every aged care facility, every general practice, every hospital and every remote clinic is crying out for nurses.
Mr Butler is clearly out of his depth, as demonstrated by Labor’s recent priority changes which bled regional doctors into metropolitan suburbs.
It is terrible policy that continues to hurt regional communities when the independent data consistently shows country people have higher mortality and morbidity rates. Labor’s cascading health policy failures are evidenced in aged care.
Its failure to comprehend the nursing shortage was in full display when they had to admit they couldn’t meet their promise of 24/7 nurses in aged care by July 1, which they have now been forced to review – again.
While Mr Butler plans to distribute 6000 trainee nurses into primary care, hospitals cannot fill their rosters right now – and trainees are not the aged-care registered nurses the Albanese Government promised.
Immediate reforms are needed to accelerate nurse training so that nursing trainees are extensively involved in hospitals from day one of their training.
This was common practice decades ago, and this could be achieved with university education and bring immediate relief to the dire shortages in regional Australia.
In addition, investing in specialised treatments in regional health centres such as a catheterisation lab in Mildura would mean more training opportunities for nurses and doctors and help patients to be treated locally.
We need to build the foundations of a sustainable regional health workforce for an ageing population.
Young, vibrant health professionals need to be able to promote their profession to students in the early years of their secondary schooling.
Training for nursing, doctors and allied health professionals must be available and supported in regional settings.
Regional training reaps a regional health workforce.
