Monash University’s School of Rural Health in Bendigo has been awarded $2.5 million to establish a Centre of Research Excellence in Rural and Remote Primary Health Care ensuring greater access to better health services in rural Australia.

 

The Centre will undertake research designed to secure rural and remote communities appropriate primary health care services, and to help Australians living outside of capital cities overcome problems associated with accessing health care.

 

Professor John Humphreys will lead a collaboration of Australia’s foremost rural health researchers from Monash University in Bendigo and Gippsland, the Flinders and Charles Darwin Universities Centre for Remote Health in Alice Springs, and the University of Sydney Department of Rural Health in Broken Hill to conduct this important research.

 

“The Centre of Research Excellence will develop better measures to guide resource allocation for the provision of health services in small rural and remote communities by developing a comprehensive framework to evaluate the impact of health services improving health outcomes for rural residents,” Professor Humphreys said.

 

“The research will provide a valuable basis to guide health policies for small rural and remote communities that face difficulties in attracting doctors and other health professionals, and maintaining adequate health care services.”

 

The Monash University Centre of Research Excellence is being funded for four years by the Australian Primary Health Care Research Institute as part of its primary health care research program.  This program aims to maximise the effectiveness of health services to ensure all Australians have the best health outcomes.

 

For more information on the Centre of Research Excellence in Rural and Remote Primary Health Care visit www.crerrphc.org.au.