Australian medical groups are calling for state and federal governments to boost funding in rural areas after a report found that rural Australians were shortchanged to the tune of $6.5 billion (US$4.3 billion) in health funding.
According to a Nous Group report that was commissioned by the National Rural Health Alliance, each person in rural Australia is missing out on nearly $850 per year in healthcare access when compared to their city counterparts. This figure was based on data from the 2020–2021 financial year.
“Poor health service access is a disincentive to live in rural areas, and poorer health outcomes limit the potential of rural industries by reducing the workforce’s efficiency through increased absenteeism and decreased productivity,” the report that was released on June 23 said….