The Rural News
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'Keeping the Rural Doctor Informed'

Volume 4 Issue 30

November 29th, 2002

$1.5 Billion for Rural Health SHAWVILLE, QC / Nov 28, 2002 / - The Society of Rural Physicians is pleased at commissioner Roy Romanow's Recommendation to target $1.5 Billion for improving health services for rural Canadians. SRPC President Dr Jill Konkin of Jasper says "This is an important recommendation that recognizes the unique challenges that rural people have in meeting their health needs"
The money is to help immediate issues regarding recruitment and retention incentives and intermediate term goals dealing with national barriers to generalist rural education.
Canada is defined by vast expanses of geography that imposes unique challenges and opportunities. The commission recognizes that much of the problem of accessing care in rural areas results from "the predominance of urban approaches applied to rural communities" and points out that "They need a different kind of specialist - namely, well trained and experienced generalist practitioners". Dr Konkin agrees that "A major priority is the national reform of medical and nursing education to allow more practitioners to be broad based generalists."
The report emphasises the need for a "truly national approach" as "Although many of these health issues have regional or local characteristics, they share common features and common problems - problems that require a national response. The provinces have constitutional responsibility for administering provincial health care systems and delivering health services to their citizens. However, the federal government could play a co-coordinating and facilitating role by working closely with the provinces and territories as well as other stakeholders."
The SRPC hopes that the commissioner's extensive consultation with Canadians and studied considerations will be an opportunity and mandate for a new level of federal/ provincial/ territorial cooperation.

Rural Scholarship Aids OZ medical students CANBERRA - The Australian Government has responded to a large increase in the number of rural medical students by expanding its scholarship program by another 80 scholarships worth $10,000 each per annum. The Rural Australia Medical Undergraduate Scholarships (RAMUS) scheme will provide the 80 scholarships in its fourth year, adding to the 500 it already funds as part of government initiatives to increase the number of doctors in regional and rural Australia.
In 1996, only 8% of the new student intake of Australia’s medical schools had been from rural areas. By 2001 the figure had risen to 25% consistent with the proportion of Australians that are rural. In Canada we have the same proportionate rural population but only 10.8% of Canada's medical students live in a rural area at high school graduation.
The RAMUS scholarships cover the extra accommodation, living and travel costs incurred by medical students from rural areas and are awarded to students who had lived in a rural or remote region of Australia for a minimum of five consecutive or eight cumulative years. While there is no return to service component, students must enter into mentorship with a rural doctor to qualify.
Urban origin students who aspire to become rural doctors are eligible for bonded scholarships.

CALL FOR PAPERS Rural researchers take note, the SRPC is taking abstracts for presentation at the Rural and Remote Medicine conference in Kelowna April 24-27 2003. For details see www.srpc.ca/RR2003/callfor.html

The reality of what presently constitutes "rural" in many developed countries, most notably in North America, needs to be critically examined and redefined to meet the requirements and challenges of the twenty-first century.
-Troughton 1999

The Rural News srpc.ca

The Rural News
srpc.ca