General News
12 December, 2022
Maryborough GP named RDAV president
Maryborough GP Dr Dan Wilson has taken over the reins as the Rural Doctors Association of Victoria (RDAV) president and says the position will help him better advocate for improved local health outcomes. Dr Wilson stepped into his presidency...
Maryborough GP Dr Dan Wilson has taken over the reins as the Rural Doctors Association of Victoria (RDAV) president and says the position will help him better advocate for improved local health outcomes.
Dr Wilson stepped into his presidency following the RDAV’s recent AGM, after joining the board in 2018 and serving as vice president since 2019.
A GP working out of Maryborough, Dr Wilson has advanced skills in obstetrics and said in his new role, improving outcomes for rural and regional Victorians will be his number one priority.
“I’m very passionate about the RDAV and our mission to improve the health of all Victorians so I’m very excited to be in this role and I’m looking forward to advocating for better health outcomes,” he said.
“Maryborough has got its unique health and socioeconomic challenges, it has quite high rates of cancer, cardiovascular disease and alarmingly high rates of domestic violence.
“In all honesty, those are trends across many rural Victorian towns so those elements do absolutely form part of our priorities at the RDAV.
“Part of our mission is to make rural Victorians healthier and a big part of that mission is improving the overall health literacy of those in rural areas and advocating for better access to healthcare.”
Now working from Maryborough for several years, Dr Wilson said working in a smaller community like Maryborough was an important way to support local health outcomes.
“I chose to become a GP for two reasons — one, because it’s one of the most flexible and rewarding careers where I can work at full scope and two, because I get the pleasure to work with people at the very start of their life and also at the end of theirs which is a real honour,” he said.
“I chose to work in Maryborough because it’s a perfect location for me to practice my GP and obstetrician skill sets.
“I feel like contributing in a place like Maryborough gives me a lot of personal fulfilment and I certainly hope my patients feel like they’re getting quality support and care.”
Dr Wilson said he is already seeking a meeting with Victorian Health Minister Mary-Anne Thomas to discuss the State Government’s need to build a strong rural healthcare network.
“Rural hospitals can provide a high standard of care across emergency, birthing, mental health and minor surgeries,” he said.
“The move to reduce these services not only results in rural patients having to travel to large regional or metro hospitals to access care — increasing the pressure on these already stretched facilities — but also puts patients at risk, in particular when emergency services are moved to telehealth only care.
“In rural towns, urgent care centres are replacing emergency departments but for most they are still not funded, resulting in rural Victorians having to pay for emergency medical care which is free in larger centres.”
Dr Wilson said another RDAV priority was Medicare and ensuring the system continued to support patients.
“Medicare has been the pillar of Australia’s healthcare for 40 years but in the last couple of years there have been questions around the adequacy of that system in relation to primary care,” he said.
“There are increasingly out of pocket fees because the rebate patients receive through Medicare no longer covers the costs of some care.
“That is absolutely a priority for me and the RDAV moving forward, we see how important access to rebates for primary care is for patients, particularly those in rural and regional areas.”