Dubbo and its neighbours are the first to benefit from the State Government’s four-year, $22-million Severe Chronic Disease Management Program to help sufferers “manage their diseases at home”.

Sufferers older than 65 years, and other high-risk groups, such as Aboriginal people older than 45, are targeted by the program that will allow GPs to arrange additional treatment for patients at no cost to them.

Director of primary and community health services for the greater western Julie Cooper yesterday said doctors would work with it and divisions of general practice to get the likes of physiotherapy and diabetes education for patients who might not have been able to access such services in the past.

“Services will be more available,” she said.

Ms Cooper said the program would also seek patient’ permission to have up-to-date health information transferred electronically to their GPs after treatment by hospital staff and other health workers.

Almost 700 people within the greater western were identified as being able to benefit from the program immediately.

NSW health minister Carmel Tebbutt said more than 2000 would be enrolled by the end of 2013, among 43,000 statewide.

There are more than one million people with chronic illnesses living in NSW, with 170,000 admitted to hospitals annually.

“These figures are only expected to increase and the State Government is committed to acting now, to ensure the future health needs of the people of NSW are met,” Ms Tebbutt said.

In all $3.4 million of the program funds will be directed to services within the Greater Western.