Healthcare is in crisis across regional Australia.
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This week in my role as Shadow Assistant Minister for Regional Health, I met with medical professionals and service providers in Rockhampton, Queensland.
Unsurprisingly, I heard the same themes presented in Queensland that I hear repeatedly across regional Australia and that I heard at the Summit I facilitated last year in Mildura.
Workforce remains the key issue and determinant of health outcomes in the regions.
More doctors, nurses and allied health professionals are required to meet the needs of our communities.
Sunday, May 5, is the International Day of the Midwife.
It does not matter where you live you should be able to access midwifery services.
There are too many women who give birth many kilometres from their own hometown.
In February La Trobe University academics along with the Royal Women's Hospital found Victorian maternity service providers acknowledged they are concerned about retaining and recruiting 'experienced' midwives as the existing workforce is heading to retirement.
The high turnover of staff continues to occur due to an inability to manage work/life balance.
Midwifery has thus become a predominantly early career nursing option leading to and resulting in concerns about skill mix in service provisions.
National Rural Health Commissioner Ruth Stewart has said close to half the maternity services across Australia have exited the regions over 25 years from 1992 to 2017.
Regional healthcare needs policies that encourage services and workforce to flourish in the regions.
Labor has been unable to provide this, rather, their focus is on metropolitan seats and keeping the Greens out.
I said it in my maiden speech to Parliament - your postcode should not determine your health status - and I stand by that as long as I am a Member of Parliament.
I am continuing to develop health policy for the upcoming election that is about solutions for regional communities regarding their needs for healthcare access including maternity services.
