Delivering health equity for rural WA must be more than a slogan, writes Professor Catherine Elliott, newly appointed chief executive at Rural Health West.
Across rural and remote Western Australia, access to healthcare is still too often determined by postcode.
Life expectancy drops by up to five years the further you live from a metropolitan centre. Rates of preventable hospitalisation, chronic disease, and early death remain unacceptably high.
In some communities, there is no local access to GPs, mental health support or culturally safe care – with more than 10,000 West Australians living over an hour from the nearest GP.
This is not a new problem, but it is one we have failed to meaningfully shift. If we are serious about equity, we must plan, prioritise, fund, and work together to deliver it.
Growing up in remote areas, I saw the impact of families doing their best without access to care. Those experiences shaped my career – first as a clinician, then as a researcher focused on early intervention for children with developmental needs.
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Now at Rural Health West, I’m focused on the fundamental question: how can we ensure everyone, no matter where they live, has access to quality care based on the best evidence?
Strong primary care pays off
This is the promise of a strong primary care sector. A well-supported, well-connected rural primary care system doesn’t just deliver better local care – it reduces the burden on our overstretched tertiary hospitals, delivers care earlier, and prevents small problems becoming major health crises.
We need to provide opportunities for primary care providers and communities to design and implement research and clinical services relevant to local needs.
We also need dedicated and funded clinical networks, communities of practice, and knowledge translation to turn evidence, research and lived experience feedback into action in the places it’s needed most.
Our Health Professionals Networks (HPNs) help bridge that gap. These grassroots networks bring together GPs, nurses, allied health professionals and hospital staff across WA to connect with one another, access expert knowledge, and support each other through some of the toughest challenges in rural care.
The HPNs are communities of practice in action. They help rural clinicians stay up to date, connected to experts in specific fields, and better equipped to meet the changing needs of their communities. This is about equitable access to knowledge and, in turn, more equitable care.
Value of support
Clinicians who feel supported, connected and professionally nourished stay longer. Services become more stable, care more coordinated, and patient outcomes improve.
This isn’t theory – it’s happening, and it’s affordable. With under $600,000 annually, HPNs support over 4500 rural health professionals.
At last year’s WA Rural GP Summit, Rural Health West convened clinicians, health leaders and stakeholders to identify actions to strengthen rural general practice. The message was clear: the pressure on rural general practice is real, but so are the solutions.
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One key priority was better support for international medical graduates (IMGs), who make up 52% of WA’s rural GP workforce. These doctors face steep challenges like navigating red tape, building trust in new communities and supporting their families.
Without tailored support, many leave, especially as DPA changes make metro practice more accessible.
Speaking at the Summit, Nepalese-born Dr Ajit Chaurasia said: “It can be difficult for the spouse and children to build meaningful connections and there is not always clear support for them.”
The recent Kruk review creates an opportunity to make Australia more competitive globally for healthcare talent, but without funding and local support we risk repeating the pattern of rural WA being left behind while new doctors – whether they be IMGs or our locally-grown trainees – move to cities.
We’ve called on the WA Government to invest in scaling HPNs and properly resourcing the integration of new rural arrivals. These are essential. Modest investment now could deliver lasting returns in workforce stability, patient care and system resilience.
We’re ready to work with government, clinicians and communities to make this happen. But we need a coordinated approach, one that recognises rural health as a shared responsibility.
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Rural funding too often falls between State and Federal cracks, but in country communities those boundaries blur. We can’t let this grey zone continue to excuse underinvestment in rural WA.
Health equity in WA shouldn’t depend on where you live. Let’s stop talking around it and start delivering it.
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