Thank you to Minister Hazzard and the NSW Local Health District for facilitating today's demonstration of the NSW telestroke model.
I'm absolutely delighted that Dubbo Hospital has now been included in this new service.
It will make a huge difference to the lives of many local people, not only those who suffer from stroke but their families, friends and the community as a whole.
The Telestroke service will revolutionise emergency stroke treatment in Dubbo.
It's another great example of the power of modern technology to bridge gaps in health care.
The Australian Government dramatically expanded the number of Medicare-eligible telehealth services in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, and that's been wholeheartedly embraced by patients and doctors right across the nation.
But it's people in rural and regional areas who can perhaps benefit most from telehealth, improving their access to a full range of health services.
This stroke service is a great example of another use for telehealth.
With our ageing population, stroke and other chronic conditions are becoming more common.
Regional Australians are 19 percent more likely to experience a stroke.
And they are also more likely to die or be left with serious disability because of stroke[1].
With rapid diagnosis and best practice treatment made possible by Telestroke, those figures can hopefully be turned around.
The Australian Government is committed to ensuring that rural Australians, like the people of Dubbo, can access quality health care where and when they need it.
That includes the best care for stroke.
And we've proven our willingness to work with the NSW Government to get the best outcomes for local people.
Through our $1.25 billion Community Health and Hospitals Program, the Australian Government contributed $9.4 million towards the Telestroke Service in New South Wales.
We're also putting record funding into public hospital services in NSW - up from $31 billion over the past five years, to more than $40 billion for the coming five years[2].
And that includes $2.5 billion specifically earmarked for small regional and rural public hospitals in New South Wales, such as this one.
Dubbo Hospital has always done wonderful work for the people of this community and the region, and extra funding will ensure it can continue to do that with modern equipment and the staff it needs.
Bringing more doctors, nurses and other health professionals to rural and regional areas is another key part of the Australian Government's strategy for stronger rural health.
Dubbo is playing an important part in this work.
We've funded more opportunities for students and junior doctors to undertake training in rural communities, because we know that if you train in a rural area, you're more likely to stay in a rural area.
One of the new medical schools in our Murray-Darling Medical Schools Network is in Dubbo, and another at Orange.
These medical school programs will allow students to undertake the majority of their training in this region.
The University of Sydney's medical program will begin here in Dubbo in 2022, with training at locations throughout the region.
The Australian Government will provide a total of $9.25 million for capital works and recurrent funding to the University of Sydney during the development stage of the medical school.
The people of Dubbo can also be proud of the role they play in the Royal Flying Doctor Service, through its base here.
It's a vital service for people who don't live or work in town, and one that the Government highly values.
We've increased funding to the Royal Flying Doctor Service, to $327 million over four years, and we're very pleased to support its expansion in new areas such as mental health and dental services.
Overall, 2020 has been a very difficult year- for people in Dubbo and the region, and elsewhere in New South Wales.
But there are certainly some good things to come out of it and Telestroke is one of them.
Congratulations to the hospital and to all of the staff involved in this big advance in Dubbo's health care.
