Conference urges stronger rural voice on climate change, health policy

Rural and remote communitiesneed a stronger voice on climate change and health policy, as well as a better spread of allied health providers, including physiotherapists, podiatrists, social workers and psychologists, a conference was told today.

The Services for Australian Rural and Remote Allied Health (SARRAH) conference, held in the New South Wales regional town of Kingscliff, opened this morning with a video message from Prime Minister Tony Abbott and an address by NSW Labor Senator Deborah O’Neill.

Senator O’Neill, who is Chair of a Senate Select Committee on Health, acknowledged the need to address the well-documented shortage of allied health services in rural Australia.

“Good health does not equal good medicine alone – evidence-based, economically sensible interventions by allied health professionals are key,” she told delegates.

Commenting that the proposed $7 co-payment for GP visits risked the creation of a two-tiered health system, Senator O’Neill said: “Rural Australians could argue we already have a two-tiered health system – metro and rural.”

Senator O’Neill said “local knowledge is gold” in effective rural health delivery, as every community has different needs. She urged delegates to become politically involved in moves to improve services in the bush.

Another speaker, Fiona Armstrong of the Climate and Health Alliance, warned that we are on track for a temperature rise of four degrees by the end of the century, which would significantly impact on rural communities.

“Given the vulnerability of rural and remote communities, there is a striking lack of rural sector representation in the climate change research – just 3%,” she said.

Other highlights of day one included:

• News of a highly successful eight-week research project into the use of performance, improvisation and stand-up comedy for therapy for people with dementia (run by Many Nolan and John Stevens).

• Tips for attracting more young health professionals to rural settings, which offers better lifestyles and diversity of work, by mentoring young graduates and embedding them in communities.

The conference, which has attracted more than 200 delegates from across Australia, continues until Saturday 20 September.

Allied health professions include: audiology, chiropractics, dental and oral health, dietetics and nutrition, diabetes education, exercise physiology, genetic counselling, health promotion, medical radiation science, occupational therapy, optometry, osteopathy, paramedic practice, physiotherapy, podiatry, prosthetics and orthotics, psychology, social work, speech pathology, sonography.
Rod Wellington, CEO of the conference organiser, Services for Australian Rural and Remote Allied Health (SARRAH)