RARMS hopes to convert West Armidale clinic into training centre for overseas doctors

Rural and Remote Medical Services hopes to be able to secure funding to convert their West Armidale Medical Clinic for a training centre, according to CEO Mark Burdack.

Doctor Burdack said the charity had applied for a grant from the previous federal government in early 2022 for that purpose, and had already lobbied the new minister for regional health, Emma McBride.

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"Our aim was to address the serious decline in access to qualified GP supervisors in rural and regional areas and the impact this is having on the supply of GPs to rural and regional centres," he said.

"Unfortunately, this application did not get up."

The charity recently announced it will leave five local GP clinics in rural communities at the end of September.

Clinics in Tenterfield and Bingara are among others on the list, though all medical services are set to remain open under alternative management.

Member for New England Barnaby Joyce backed the grant application in the last government and gave it his support in an interview with the Leader.

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He said any program that allowed overseas trained doctors to move to Australia in a way that guaranteed oversight was a good idea.

"You've got to get doctors from wherever we can get them as long as they proficient," he said.

"If you've got a heart attack, you're not going to ask people their ethnicity before they started giving you CPR, you're just going to want them to fix you up."

Doctor Burdack said he'd recently had a meeting with the new minister and told her the biggest priority for rural and regional communities was simple.

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"We advised her that we need to rapidly address the 20 month backlog of applications from overseas doctors who want to work in rural and regional areas but are being delayed," he said.

"To address the crisis we need immediate investment in general practices to train overseas doctors for work in Australia."

Minister McBride said, as a pharmacist of over 20 years, "I understand the importance of quality, affordable healthcare close to home"

"Every Australian, no matter where they live or where they're from, should have access to the care they need when they need it," she said.

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