MENTAL and dental health will underpin the campaign for better health services in rural areas this election.
The National Rural Health Alliance says the two major party leaders, Julia Gillard and Tony Abbott, both have a long understanding of rural health policy having previously worked in the health portfolio.
In their election charter, released at the start of the campaign, the rural health alliance is calling on these leaders to commit to 10 "key fields of action" to not just lift the health outcomes of rural people, but also the nation's productivity.
At this election the alliance is looking for commitments in the areas of: improved sustainability of rural and remote communities, a fair share of mainstream health funding, better access to primary care as close to home as possible, workforce development, improved health for Aboriginal people, health prevention programs for rural communities, smaller hospitals and primary care, improved rural mental health care, better aged care services, and better patients’ assisted travel schemes.
Chair of the alliance, Dr Jenny May, said their proposal offers an "affordable, coherent way forward to improve health and community vitality for people in rural and remote areas".
"We’ve been encouraged by recent references to how policies relating to population, immigration, resource rent taxation and remote zone allowances can differentiate between particular regions," Dr May said.
"If you add them all together you’re not far from a regional development policy. Investing in healthy people through investing in our health services builds healthy communities at the heart of our nation."
She said two other national issues with particular implications for rural people are yet to be dealt with adequately by either the Labor Party or the Coalition - the parlous state of mental health and dental health.
"We need significantly greater national attention in these areas and specific approaches to target the major shortfalls in rural and remote areas," Dr May said.
The alliance's election charter says many standard approaches to health service delivery which work well in major cities do not work well in rural and remote areas.
"Not only are unit costs higher and distances greater but also the health professional workforce, support staff and technological and business back-up may not be available for programs to be rolled out equitably in rural and remote areas," the charter says.
It says the Alliance is keen to see a greater focus in health reform and ongoing policy activities on primary care, as distinct from hospital (acute) care.
"The principle should be that everyone, irrespective of where they live, should have access to necessary primary care as close to home as possible.
"To make this principle a reality will require a number of things. It will need primary care resources (infrastructure, staff, operating costs) to be distributed on the basis of population health needs, meaning a significant improvement in the distribution of the health workforce."
Last week Minister for Rural and Regional Health, Warren Snowden, told a conference of more than 300 rural health students in Alice Springs that the Government was committed to delivering an ambitious health reform agenda, particularly one which supported more health professionals to work and live in rural and regional Australia.
"We know that people living in rural and remote communities face poorer health outcomes and have limited access to health care services than people in the city," Mr Snowden said.
"To help ensure all Australians have access to better health regardless of where they live, we need a robust rural and regional workforce…"
"The Australian government is determined to attract more doctors, nurses, dentists and other health professionals to regional and rural communities throughout Australia — and keep them there."
The Opposition's health spokesman, Peter Dutton, said the Government's proposed health reforms "will not end the blame game" and there was little in the reforms to address the major challenges in rural health.
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