Helping young allied health professionals tackle the challenges of working in the bush is the focus of a new $3.2 million national scheme announced in Dubbo by Minister for Regional Services Mark Coulton on Thursday.
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The Allied Health Rural Generalist Workforce and Education Scheme aims to improve recruitment and retention of allied health professionals in rural and remote communities across Australia.
Mr Coulton was joined by Cath Maloney, the acting chief executive officer (CEO) of Services for Australian Rural and Remote Allied Health (SARRAH), which will administer the scheme, and Marathon Health's allied health portfolio manager Julie Cullenward.
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Ms Maloney said recruiting and retaining allied health professionals in rural and remote Australia was an "ongoing challenge".
"Low numbers of allied health professionals in communities is more severe than for nursing and general practice and often much worse," she said.
The acting CEO compared the number of allied health professionals in the huge Parkes electorate, home to about 102,000 people, with inner Sydney communities with a similar population.
"..what's really challenging is that the number of allied health professionals covering the 400,000 square kilometres of Parkes is likely to be about a quarter of the number of allied health professionals that work in the 10, 20 or 30 square kilometres covering the same population in the city," she said.
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Ms Maloney said allied health professionals in the bush faced the tyranny of distance and a "broad range of clients and conditions".
"They often experience professional isolation and incur higher costs to access supervision and professional development compared to their metropolitan counterparts," she said.
Mr Coulton said a two-year program would equip allied health professionals for rural practice.
"The program will boost the capability of graduates or those already working in the field by teaching them skills on how to manage and where to find more support for complex patients, how to consult via telehealth and how they can access additional services for patients who may need it," he said.
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Ms Cullenward welcomed the program.
"We are thrilled our young therapists will have this opportunity and know it will improve outcomes for our people in the bush," she said.