Australia is setting aside more than $700 million (US$523 million) to train local doctors in the specialties areas—including dermatology, sport and exercise medicine, and psychiatry—and increase their placement in regional Australia. In the latest federal budget to be released in just under a week, the Australian government has pledged $708.6 million (US$530 million) to run the medical specialist training program. Additionally, $4.2 million (US$3 million) will go towards improving access for specialists to practice in regional, rural and remote areas. The program, which has been running since 2010, will fund nearly 1,000 full-time places each year, with training across areas such as specialist rooms, day surgeries, and private hospitals, Regional Health Minister Dr. David Gillespie says. “This four-year extension of the Specialist Training Program allows specialist trainees to continue to take the opportunity to train in rural communities, which we know creates a higher likelihood they will remain or return …