It is well documented that rural and remote Australian residents have poorer access to medical services than their counterparts in capital cities. According to the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare in 1998 there were 75.3 vocationally registered general practitioners per 100,000 population in rural and remote areas, compared with 103.0 per 100,000 in metropolitan areas. In 1998 28.7% of the Australian population lived in rural and remote areas, so a substantial proportion of the Australian population is adversely affected by the unequal distribution of general practitioners. Australian country communities highly regard the services of general practitioners and they continue to demand residential medical services. Demand is driven by need for access to health services, but also by the intimate inter-relationships between the general practice and community sustainability. For example, the general practice contributes to the viability of the local hospital which is often a major employer in the district. Consequently, many country communities strive to keep their general practice by contributing to practice infrastructure, providing governance, raising funds for medical equipment, and actively helping recruitment. / Thesis (PhDHealthSciences)--University of South Australia, 2004.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:ADTP/267544 |
| Creators | Taylor, Judy. |
| Source Sets | Australiasian Digital Theses Program |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Rights | copyright under review |
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