Paving the way for next-generation rural health professionals

March 9, 2020

The building blocks to grow the rural health workforce are one step closer with Maranoa MP David Littleproud today welcoming start of construction on the Southern Queensland Rural Health (SQRH) Charleville training site.

“This is great news for the South-West community because the nurse and health students who train here will be providing more services closer to home,” Mr Littleproud said.

“This hands-on experience for medical students will give them valuable knowledge and skills to deal with health challenges in the Bush and easy access to set up a career in a rural community.

“Boosting the rural health sector starts with giving better access to training in the Bush, developing the next generation of health professionals and I’m glad that Charleville and the South-West community are able to benefit from this.

“Essentially this training site helps to bridge the urban-rural divide, paving the way for students from urban Australia to take this opportunity, challenge themselves and get involved with health in the Bush and the local community.

“As the students they develop their professional ability, the needs of residents from the South-West will be better understood and the next generation of health specialists will be here to support them.

“The Government remains committed to making sure all Australians, no matter where they live, benefit from a better distribution of the health workforce through rural training opportunities.

“During the construction phase, local businesses will be sub-contracted, giving a boost to the region.”

The Australian Government provided $2.5 million to UQ through the Rural Health Multidisciplinary Training (RHMT) program to help build this facility.

The SQRH Training site will include consulting rooms, a clinical education simulation room, tutorial and lecture rooms, telehealth studios and computer hubs to provide nurses and health care professionals with greater access to training in a rural setting.

The facility will be run by Southern Queensland Rural Health – one of Australia’s 16 university departments of rural health – which is a collaboration between the University of Queensland, the University of Southern Queensland, Darling Downs Hospital and Health Service, and South-West Hospital and Health Service.

ENDS