The NSW Government has announced improvements to make accessing healthcare easier for people living in rural and regional communities through its Isolated Patients Travel and Accommodation Assistance Scheme (IPTAAS).
Over the past 12 months financial assistance through IPTAAS has been used by 81,000 patients from Local Health Districts throughout inland NSW.
"IPTAAS provides financial assistance to patients who need to travel long distances for specialist healthcare, not available locally," MLC for Cootamundra Stephen Lawrence said.
"NSW Patients have also received more money back in their pockets thanks to increased subsidies, with the average reimbursement per patient higher than ever before at $482."
According to Mr Lawrence in the 2023/24 financial year, $48,885,969 was provided in IPTAAS claims across NSW, helping 41,417 patients access specialist treatment.
"Reducing the financial burden for country patients to travel for their healthcare is just part of a comprehensive range of measures the NSW Government is embracing to improve access to care in our regional, rural and remote communities," Mr Lawrence said.
Mr Lawrence said these include:
- Delivering more health worker accommodation to the bush
- Doubling rural health worker incentives for the most critcial and hard to fill positions to improve recruitment and retention
- Boosting doctors in our regional GP surgeries as well as hospitals through the single employer model and
- Deploying an extra 500 regional paramedics
The NSW Government said Murrumbidgee Local Health District patients were paid $7,960,526 in IPTAAS claims during the 2023/24 financial year.
"We're making it easier for regional people to access healthcare through IPTAAS," Mr Lawrence said.
"More people are accessing IPTAAS than ever before and they're getting more money back in their pocket thanks to increased subsidies.
"We know that people living in rural, regional and remote NSW sometimes have to travel a long way for specialist care."
The IPTAAS financial assistance helps cover the costs of travel and accommodation.
"It can mean the difference between seeking care or not," Mr Lawrence said.
"Through important initiatives like IPTAAS, we will continue to support residents of NSW to access high quality, timely and appropriate healthcare, particularly those living in rural, regional and remote communities."