Riverina councils funding 'critical gaps' in region's rural healthcare: Local Government NSW

According to data collected by Local Government NSW, Hay Shire has spent the most on healthcare out of the Riverina's councils, allocating $113,461 towards subsidising housing and vehicles for healthcare workers in 2020/21.

Other Riverina councils, including Wagga City Council, spent between $6000 and $53,000 on healthcare services last financial year despite health not being a primary responsibility for local government.

A Local Government NSW submission to NSW Parliament's inquiry into rural and remote health access claimed there had been "significant health cost shifts from state and federal government onto local government".

"Councils are plugging critical shortfalls to attract suitably qualified medical practitioners into regional, rural and remote areas of NSW," the submission stated.

Hay Shire mayor Jenny Dwyer said her council could provide a lot of other ratepayer services for $113,000 but there would be major flow-on effects for the community if doctors stopped working in the town.

"Technically, it should not be the role of local government to provide healthcare but when our communities essentially are suffering without adequate healthcare, they pretty much have their own idea about what should and shouldn't be our responsibility," she said.

"It's our responsibility to act on the communities' behalf and make sure we do have that adequate healthcare by giving those incentives to get healthcare professionals to our region.

"It's what the community wants, it's what the council does. It's a hard one; it shouldn't be our responsibility but we are making it our responsibility as we don't want our community's health to be at risk."

Local Government NSW found that Temora Shire Council spent $39,914 last financial year on s funding towards an academic bursary as well as subsidising the operating costs of three medical centres.

Temora mayor Rick Firman said the council had also received a lot of money from the state and federal governments, which it was grateful for, but was still facing costs for maintaining medical services.

"We have got to find the money somewhere and something's got to give," Cr Firman said.

"If council didn't provide support for medical services, I'm not sure whether we would be receiving what we are receiving if we did not help ourselves in that space.

"The federal and state are like the rest of us, there is only so much money and we need to acknowledge the funds we receive in other ways but some can argue that health is a basic service and rural communities should not be at a disadvantage in any way, shape or form."

A NSW Health spokesperson said the NSW Government last last month had announced a funding boost of $500 million in health services in rural and regional communities and had a range of programs and incentives in place to continue to attract doctors to rural areas.

"This substantial funding included a record $45 million investment in Key Health Worker accommodation to encourage the recruitment and retention of high-quality staff on a continuing basis in rural and regional locations," the spokesperson said.

"The package also included a $53 million investment to the Department of Regional NSW to work with NSW Health to ensure the delivery of improved health services, including a three-year, place-based health worker attraction and retention program; and establishment of a scholarship program to support post graduate placements in rural and regional communities."

The spokesperson said between mid-2012 and mid-2021, NSW Health had increased its workforce by an additional 25,278 full-time equivalent staff including a further 8,300 frontline staff are being added over this term, with 45 per cent going to the regions.

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