Flinders Rural Health South Australia has welcomed Senator David Fawcett to its Mt Gambier campus to discuss opportunities to expand the postgraduate medical training program in rural regions.

The visit comes as Australia prepares for its first National Rural Generalist Pathway, an initiative which aims to provide training, recognition and appropriate remuneration for the complex demands on doctors working outside major cities.

Senator Fawcett was joined at the Mt Gambier campus by Shadow Minister for Health Steven Wade; Rural Health Commissioner, Emeritus Professor Paul Worley; Professor of Rural Medical Education, Lucie Walters; Acting Regional Director of the South East for Country Health SA, Ms Ngarie Buchanan; and Mr Tony Pasin MP, Federal Member for Barker.

A roundtable meeting was held as part of the visit to address the need for additional medical training positions in Mount Gambier as well as ways to improve access to NDIS services and provide rural midwives with generalist nursing training to increase their employability.

The current and future infrastructure needs of rural health services were also discussed, as was the impact of the Mount Gambier Prison on Aboriginal and mental health services.