Health chiefs say the introduction of telehealth services in remote western communities could address a shortage of general practitioners.
About 100 people from 37 health councils have gathered in Dubbo, to voice their concerns about issues affecting areas such as Orange, Forbes, Goodooga, Cobar and Grenfell.
The Western Local Health District's Chief Executive Scott McLachlan says in the next five to 10 years, more than one-third of the workforce will retire and there needs to be a way to attract medical professionals to the western region.
He said rolling out programs like telehealth would allow future generations to have more of a work-life balance.
"This group of 15 young clinicians have given us a lot of advice about getting into social media, new technology different ways of caring for patients and I guess just a different way of managing and encouraging staff to find a fulfilling career in health," Mr McLachlan said.
Representatives from the Lachlan Health Service which incorporates the Forbes and Parkes districts, were among those at the forum.
The co-chairman Dan Herbert said one of his biggest concerns was the long distances and travelling costs.
"Patients and the travelling and the other speciality of interest was the cost of people going from our location to Sydney, particularly young adults that have got to have major heart surgery or other surgery and their families well can't afford it so there becomes a problem to them."
Concerns were also raised that people from remote communities were being forced to make their own way home after receiving medical treatment.
Petrina Brown from the Lightning Ridge Health Service says there needs to be more investment to improve health services in small towns.
She said there were a number of issues facing patients who had to travel home from cities like Dubbo.
"The bus, it doesn't get back to Lightning Ridge until a quarter-to-seven at night so that's another issue and people can't walk around like they did once at night because of safety reasons," Ms Brown said.
"You know most of the patients come down to the hospital they've just had an operation or something like that."
Mr McLachlan said telehealth would ease this burden.
"In every hospital community health centre to do video consultations, communicate electronically between clinicians and give them access to world class technology and evidence around the care they're providing and so we think we can solve a lot of that problem ourselves.
"It's an investment the state government has made over and beyond what the NBN is going to do."
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Autor(en)/Author(s): Tahmina Ansari
Quelle/Source: ABC Online, 18.09.2015
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