A major problem being faced by many rural Councils is the lack of doctors, medical facilities and services within their region. One such Council that faced this situation was Queensland’s Kingaroy Shire Council. To address this issue, Council implemented a strategic approach to ease the situation.
An analysis conducted on behalf of Council by QLD Health and South Burnett District Health Services suggested that there was a lack of general practitioners within both Kingaroy and wider South Burnett region.
Another factor that was dependent on the number of general practitioners within the area was the number and functions of other medical personnel, such as nurses and surgeons, as well as specialist medical services within the district. This posed a significant threat to the quality of health and medical services within the region. These were the major catalysts for the development of the Kingaroy and South Burnett Medical Workforce Project.
“The Project focuses on increasing and stabilising the supply of general practitioners and specialists in the community,” said Kingaroy Shire Council’s Chief Executive Officer, Ron Turner.“An adequate medical workforce with an appropriate mix of practice skills is necessary to provide quality medical services on an equitable basis to people of South Burnett. Consultation with the local community organisations and individuals in the development of this medical workforce strategy not only provided the concepts and ideas for the strategy, it assisted to enhance community knowledge and understanding about Kingaroy and South Burnett health and medical issues.”
The strategy adopts a systematic course of actions working with medical organisations, the Queensland and Federal Governments.
For further information contact Ron Turner on (07) 4162 6200.
