Support for doctors and health professionals in NT

A new Remote Area Health Corps will be established to attract and support the increased numbers of urban-based health professionals needed to provide more health care in remote communities.

The funding will be used in 2008-09 to 2009-10 to recruit, employ and deploy the necessary health professionals to improve primary health care for Indigenous children and their families.

The Remote Area Health Corps will work closely with existing Aboriginal health organisations to deliver more locums to relieve single-post doctors and nurses in remote communities.

The funding will also be used to deploy specialists to conduct health blitzes on specific conditions such as trachoma and cataracts, and allied health professionals, such as audiologists, to identify and prevent deafness in Aboriginal children.

This initiative builds on the positive response of health professionals to assist with the Northern Territory Emergency Response and the successful implementation of Child Health Checks.

More than 100 health professionals have been deployed to 30 communities so far completing about 2,000 Child Health Checks.