News reports out this week reveal the Government plans to “reform” the incentive program, but many people fear the cash-strapped Government will re-jig the program so it costs less, or do away with the rural doctor bonus scheme altogether.

The scheme, running since 1991, pays significant bonuses above ordinary salaries based on where a doctor works as encouragement for medicos to pick a country practice, and hopefully stay long-term.

In the lead-up to the last Federal election, the Australian Medical Association and the Rural Doctors Association of Australia (RDAA) called for the bonuses to be increased and also be expanded to cover overtime, on-call work and the work of doctors who may be the only general practitioner in the district.

With the RDAA estimating at least an extra 1800 doctors are needed immediately in rural Australia and figures revealing a wait of six weeks or more for a basic consultation in the bush, the association believes any such move will devastate some communities struggling to keep a GP.

In its budget submission, RDAA president, Dr Nola Maxfield, said Australian governments “continue to spend less per capita on the health care of rural people”.

For more see this week's The Land.