The Rural Doctors Association of Victoria
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Emergency Medicine
Victorian Rural Emergency Medicine
Victorian rural doctors operate their own community medical practices and cover their local hospitals for emergency situations. Smaller hospitals do not have the volume of work to sustain full time Hospital Medical Officers.
It is a substantial impost for all rural residents to travel 1-2 hours to the nearest available facility for emergency care. Regrettably an increasing number are having to do this. Many locations also do not have their own ambulance stations. Only a small proportion of rural ambulance officers are MICA trained.
This means that rural doctors have to attain a high level of expertise in a wide variety of specialities. The process started in 1991 to obtain proper training for rural doctors has to continue. It has only obtained national approval in 2007.
Rural doctors are trainers on all the emergency courses and are partners in the Paediatric APLS course. Rural Doctors are welcomed as senior doctors on shifts in Emergency Departments of larger hospitals and are encouraged to periodically do this for CPD.
The RDAV considers that safe working hours are essential and is satisfied that many rural hospitals are modifying their practices to provide good triage of patients presenting, particularly after hours, and to steadily approve team management of emergencies and casualty cases.
The RDAV further considers that provision of emergency services is a State Responsbility under the Australian Health Care Agreement and that substantial shift in the State's position is required in this respect to hospitals without State-funded Emergency Departments.
It is not the responsibility of rural doctors practicing in any given town to provide an emergency service but rather the responsibility of the Hospital, as the body delegated by the State, to undertake proper negotiation with local doctors to ensure that services are provided.