For decades now there has been a shortage of medical professionals in rural Australia. Previous strategies, such as the offering of lucrative packages to GPs, have been unsuccessful in solving the issue. Now, the Federal Government has appointed Professor Paul Worley as Rural Health Commissioner, a new a role in the first step of a new strategy to solve the problem.
The Daily spoke with Dr Emma Cunningham, the President of the Rural Doctors Association of NSW about the shortage of GPs in rural Australia and what the appointment of this new commissioner means.