INVESTMENT in regional hospitals is paying dividends in attracting new staff, but new federal funding criteria could hinder gains in rural health care.
Dubbo hospital, which is halfway through its $91 million redevelopment, advertised for specialist clinicians for 10 years, but in the past 18 months it's attracted 15 specialist staff, according to NSW? Health Minister Jillian Skinner.
"That's because they see the government is investing in their facility," Ms Skinner said.
"In the 2015-16 Budget in rural areas alone, not the regional Illawarra/Central Coast region, the local health budget equalled $5 billion in initial recurrent expenditure so we've really invested," Ms Skinner said.
"Eighty-five per cent of people can now get their health care within their local health district and don't have to travel.
"Health care for the bush has picked up enormously, the investment in country areas in the past four-and-a-half years has been phenomenal."
But that could change going forward, if the federal government stuck to its outlined health funding changes.
"Then we really will have a problem," Ms Skinner said.
However, she said current funding levels ensured NSW would receive adequate health finances until 2017-18.
As chairwoman of the Health Ministers Council, Ms Skinner has insisted on its agenda being more strategic about integrated care.
"In NSW we had invested $180m from a central pool, to be matched by local health districts and partners, including general practices and others to provide better linkages between primary health care and that's happening."
- KIM CHAPPELL
Kim Chappell
Editor of Farming Small Areas.
Editor of Farming Small Areas.
