Labor calls for medical reforms to tackle rural health crisis

Shadow minister says ‘shocking’ health inequalities must be addressed

The disparity between rural and urban health services across Australia must be a priority for future health policy and research, federal shadow health minister Chris Bowen has told a national medical conference.

“Unless and until we have tackling the social determinants of health at the core of health policy, we will not be tackling one of the key challenges and opportunities for health,” he said in an opening address to the Rural Medicine Australia conference on Queensland’s Gold Coast.