Image: The report has brought a call for reform
A snapshot of regional health recently undertaken by the National Rural Health Alliance (NRHA) shows rural men are 2.5 times more likely, and rural women 2.8 times more likely, to die from potentially avoidable causes than those in urban areas.
They are sobering statistics, yet the funding for rural health continues to lag behind that spent on those living in the cities.
The snapshot shows that small rural towns of less than 5000 people have access to almost 60 per cent fewer health professionals than major cities per capita, indicating continuing workforce and access challenges in rural areas. Major cities have more choice and more general practitioners and other health practitioners providing primary care compared to large regional centres, small rural towns, remote areas and very remote areas.