Yarraman, a small rural town 180 kilometers north-west of the capital city of Brisbane, has recently been faced with a very large healthcare emergency. Home to about 1,200 residents, the town hasn’t had a full-time physician since 2018. Residents are forced to travel incredibly long distances to even access quality care. They travel into neighbouring towns like Kingaroy or Toowoomba or even to Brisbane for their health care requirements.
Blackbutt, their closest general practitioner (GP), is half an hour’s drive away. This last option has lately been taken off the table, as Blackbutt’s GP has recently closed his books to new patients. This growing sense of isolation and precariousness puts Yarraman’s long-term locals at risk, not least when it comes to getting routine or emergency healthcare.
Locals in Yarraman have long shared their community’s frustrations at the loss of medical safeguards from threats of closure. Local farmer and yoga teacher Jane Hodgkinson reminded the group of the realities that too many in their community are still facing. She stated that the absence of a local GP makes it difficult for residents to prioritize their health and well-being.
“It’s not going to happen without some investment in time as well as money,” – Jane Hodgkinson
Accessing Healthcare: A Long Journey
For most of Yarraman’s residents, getting medical care means a significant investment of both time and money. People avoid preventive care when they must travel inordinate distances. Complicating things is the lack of public transport, which poses an even greater challenge to them. This lack of access means that residents postpone medical trips even for urgent care needs, increasing the risk of severe long-term health consequences.
Hodgkinson highlighted the urgent need for healthcare services in rural communities. She remarked on the dire consequences of neglecting health issues, stating that “they end up with complex issues and that just compounds again.” When healthcare isn’t affordable, treatable diseases become chronic problems that are far more complex to manage. This wave of new cases puts additional pressure on hospitals and emergency medical services.
It’s just not enough, Peta Rutherford, the local advocate for healthcare accessibility who rallied with Greene, agreed. She highlighted the unique and creative solutions needed to help overcome the healthcare crisis in Yarraman and neighbouring communities.
“When you’re having to travel hundreds of kilometres to access a GP service, a lot of people actually choose to not go and have the service,” – Peta Rutherford
The Broader Impact of GP Shortages
Communities in rural areas such as Yarraman are experiencing the impact of GP shortages. This issue has been compounded by a decrease in the number of bulk billing doctors over the last five years. These costs are not just catastrophic failures like bridge collapses. With more than 100,000 individuals in the area unable to obtain required mental health services, the demand for holistic healthcare options is all too apparent.
We’ve heard from residents who are worried about what this could mean in the long run due to these shortages. Hodgkinson pointed out that those living in remote areas are likely to face significantly shorter life expectancies compared to their urban counterparts.
“We know that people who live in very remote areas are likely to die 14 years earlier to their urban counterparts and that they’re dying from causes that are largely preventable,” – Jane Hodgkinson
The Coalition appreciates the importance of an expeditious pipeline of medical practitioners to rural areas. To rectify this, they have committed 200 more training positions to increase the number of healthcare professionals in these areas. Fingers crossed that this approach will help relieve some of the pressures on smaller places like Yarraman. The community needs action now.
Future Prospects for Yarraman’s Healthcare
As Yarraman continues to grapple with its healthcare crisis, community leaders recognize that attracting and retaining medical professionals will require significant effort. They call for a more cooperative system that allows local communities to work with state and federal agencies in order to create practical solutions.
Rutherford strongly underscored the necessity of community engagement to tackle these priorities. She stated, “If you want someone to move to your community and you want a medical service — that’s a really important pillar to ensure you’ve got a vibrant and sustainable community — we need to look at how as a community do we attract these people and retain them in the longer term.”
The commitment towards training new doctors may provide hope for Yarraman residents, yet many believe that tangible changes are necessary now.
