While people living in rural and remote parts of Australia have higher rates of heart disease, hospitalisations and poorer access to primary health care services than those in metropolitan areas, the new Rural Health Commissioner Associate Professor Ruth Stewart believes they also have the solutions, tapping into their own talent pool.
Stewart, who lives of Thursday Island in the Torres Strait, and former and inaugural Rural Health Commissioner Emeritus Professor Paul Worley, are both passionate advocates of rural health and determined to give local people the power to ensure your health isn’t determined by your postcode.
They spoke to CroakeyVOICES Cate Carrigan about their vision for rural health, the impact of COVID-19 and why becoming a rural or remote health worker could be one of the best decisions you’ll ever make.