Media Release
27 January 2011
RAHC fills 700 health professional placements in NT remote Indigenous communities
Aspen Medical's Indigenous health project the Remote Area Health Corps (RAHC) has now filled over 700 short-term health professional placement in remote Indigenous communities across the Northern Territory (NT).
These 700 RAHC placements have contributed over 2500 weeks of primary health care service being undertaken in remote NT health centres. This equates to more than 50 full time health professionals working a year each in the NT.
Since starting operations in late 2008 when the first RAHC registered nurse went to work in the remote Central Australian community of Ampilatwatja RAHC has continued to make a significant contribution to supporting and expanding the health workforce in Indigenous communities.
The RAHC remit is to recruit and support urban-based health professionals, including general practitioners, nurses, midwives, dental and allied health professionals, to fill short-term paid placements in response to requests from remote Indigenous health services throughout the NT.
As RAHC enters its third year of operations the number of health professional completing multiple placements with RAHC continues to grow. Over 50% of RAHC placements have been filled by health professionals doing two or more placements with RAHC, with new requests to return to the NT being received by the RAHC team everyday.
RAHC General Manager, Dr Lisa Studdert says one of the great successes of RAHC can be attributed to these dedicated health professionals seeing the value they can add to health services and the contribution they can make to improving access to health services for those living in remote regions.
“Our RAHC health professionals are providing valued support to remote health services throughout the NT, not only by assisting in times of emergency but also through expanding service delivery in areas such as preventive health and chronic disease management.”
RAHC’s 700th health professional placement is Eleanor Harrex, a registered nurse from Canberra. Eleanor has just completed her sixth RAHC placement in Nhulunbuy on the Gove Peninsula in East Arnhem Land.
