The NSW Government is stepping up its commitment to improving healthcare access for rural and regional communities through the Isolated Patients Travel and Accommodation Assistance Scheme (IPTAAS).
IPTAAS helps alleviate the financial burden on patients by covering travel and accommodation costs, allowing them to access essential medical services. In the 2023-24 financial year, over 41,400 patients benefited from this program, which provides crucial financial assistance to residents who must travel long distances for specialist healthcare not available locally.
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander participation in the program has increased, with 2,200 more applications from Indigenous patients, bringing the total to 8,500 applications in the 2023-24 period.
One of the many success stories of the program is Noeline Nicholls, a resident of Pilliga, west of Narrabri. Noeline depends on IPTAAS to travel regularly to Tamworth Hospital’s Healthy Deadly Feet Clinic, a diabetes related podiatry clinic where she receives critical care from Aboriginal Health Worker Jacob Shanley.
“If it wasn’t for IPTAAS, I wouldn’t be here,” Noeline said.
“Where we live, we travel for everything— petrol, food, and medical. If there wasn’t something like IPTAAS, I wouldn’t have been able to get here and do all the medical stuff I needed to do.”
“It’s helped me a lot and I hope other people uses it,” she said.
Jacob said that transport and money are the biggest obstacle to people coming to see their high risk clinic, particular from Moree, Wee Waa, and other centres two to three hours drive away.
“There is a lot of pride in the community around not wanting to take handouts, especially from the government, but if it’s going to the be the difference between getting you to an appointment, and not getting you to an appointment, I say fill the form out.”
With $48.88 million provided in IPTAAS claims across NSW in 2023-24, the program continues to make a significant impact on patient lives. The average reimbursement per patient is now higher than ever before, at $482, ensuring patients receive more financial support for their healthcare-related travel.
$12.76 million of IPTAAS payments went to patients in the Hunter New England health district.
Beyond IPTAAS, the NSW Government says it is pursuing a range of measures to improve healthcare access in rural areas. These initiatives include boosting regional paramedic numbers by 500, enhancing health worker accommodation, and doubling rural health worker incentives to attract and retain critical staff in hard-to-fill positions.
Additionally, efforts to increase the number of doctors serving in regional GP surgeries and hospitals are ongoing, supported by a single employer model that aims to streamline medical staffing in rural areas.
Health Minister Ryan Park said the government is committed to making healthcare more accessible.
“We’re making it easier for regional people to access healthcare through IPTAAS. More people are accessing IPTAAS than ever before, and they’re getting more money back in their pockets thanks to increased subsidies,” said Minister Park.
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