The Minister for Indigenous Health, Rural and Regional Health and Regional Services Delivery, Warren Snowdon, said that a call for expressions of interest had been made for optometrists willing to provide outreach services in priority Indigenous communities.
“Attracting optometrists to deliver services in these communities will improve access to optometric services in the places that need it the most – more visits, more services, more locations,” Mr Snowdon said.
Mr Snowdon said the Government was providing additional funding of $6.5 million over four years to expand the Visiting Optometrists Scheme (VOS).
This will better target primary eye health care to Indigenous Australians in remote and very remote communities,” he said.
Expressions of interest close on 27 November 2009 and the expanded services are expected to begin early in 2010.
Further information about the VOS expression of interest is available online from the Department of Health and Ageing website: http://www.health.gov.au/vos.
