Gloucester is benefiting from a national program which will allow doctors to remain in the community while gaining additional knowledge and skills in specialist general practice.
Dr Joshua Thant and Dr Ravi Kukreja at Gloucester Medical Centre will be participating in the Remote Vocational Training Scheme (RVTS) program, which is funded by the Australian Government.
Dr Thant has been working in Gloucester for about 15 months and Dr Kukreja has been around for 18 months.
“The primary focus of the RVTS program is to retain general practitioner’s (GP) in rural and remote areas,” RVTS chief executive officer Dr Pat Giddings said.
“Doctors who train with RVTS gain access to the latest advances in rural general practice without having to leave their patients and move to another centre, a boost to both the community and themselves.”
"Many rural and remote doctors work in relative isolation and are in locations where the medical services would be substantially compromised if they were required to undertake specialist GP training away from their community.
“We know that without our support, many doctors may have had to leave to pursue career advancement.”
Around one-third of the Australian population lives in rural, regional and remote areas. Where access to health services and health-related infrastructure is often limited.
Increasing the numbers of health professionals in rural and remote areas remains an ongoing focus at both Federal and State levels.
Dr Thant and Dr Kukreja are among the 31 doctors who have been accepted into the RVTS program this year, joining more than 110 other doctors currently in the program.
