The Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP) arrive in Kalgoorlie, WA, as part of a state visit by college President Dr Michael Wright and RACGP Vice President and WA Chair, Dr Ramya Raman.
The visit highlights the significance of connecting with the Goldfields and strengthening rural healthcare development.
While progress has been made, more support is needed to sustain the momentum of addressing longstanding challenges in attracting and retaining GPs and registrars and improving training accreditation for practices.
On the agenda is a busy itinerary for the RACGP representatives. A big part of the work undertaken by the college is to support GPs, general practice registrars and medical students.
The Rural Clinical School at the Kalgoorlie Health Campus will host a General Practice Roundtable focussed on GP Workforce in the Goldfields. The discussion will primarily centre on attraction, retention, wins and challenges, innovative health funding models that have worked in the area, local health concerns.
RACGP President Dr Michael Wright said he was excited for the visit to Kalgoorlie and its surrounds.
"I am really looking forward to hearing how local GPs and practices are innovating to provide excellent care and keeping locals well in the community," he said.
"It's really important to showcase the brilliant work done by our GP and to see that we need to get more care and resources into general practice all around the country.
"General practice is important everywhere, but particularly outside of big city life, it provides the main lifeline of the health system."
Inspiring GPs of the future to improve the health and wellbeing of people in WA – and Australia as a whole – is a key objective. A 'Pathways to GP Information & discussion session' will be held with medical students, before a similar gathering with junior doctors about training pathways.
RACGP WA Chair and Vice President Dr Ramya Raman said: "This visit is a fantastic opportunity for RACGP leadership to meet our rural GPs, GPs in training, and Rural Generalists and understand the community needs in Kalgoorlie.
"Right across WA we are committed to the ongoing development of health professionals and providing them with the resources to deliver high-quality primary healthcare across the state.
"It's great to engage with GP registrars and listen to future practitioners about their aspirations, their needs and wants and how we get them to be best versions of themselves in a professional setting – for their own benefit and that of their patients."
There will also be a meeting at WA Country Health Service, an organisation which aims to provide quality, accessible health services to people from large regional centres to those in small remote communities.
There will also be a free informal meet for members practice staff, medical students, interns, and rural health stakeholders to connect and catch-up with colleagues, peers and the RACGP team with the opportunity to ask any questions and provide valuable feedback.
A meeting with Primary Health providers at Curtin University, Kalgoorlie Campus, to help connect primary care stakeholders will conclude the trip.
The visit comes as the RACGP acknowledged the "incredible work" by WA's award-winning GPs. WA is home to GPs, registrars, practices, and practice teams who continue to make outstanding contributions to the health and wellbeing of their communities.
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