A third of Australia's population is classified as regional or remote, but since it's such a big place it's hard to provide comprehensive heath care all over. As a result, chronic disease gets treated later and mortality is 1.3 time higher than it is in major cities, according to the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare.

There are only 42 percent as many specialists per 100,000 population in regional areas as there are in major cities, but research shows that these experiences are more likely to lead to permanent careers in the country.

In this episode we visit the country town of Dubbo about 6 hours drive northwest of Sydney. The base hospital services a catchment of 130,000 people spread across an area the size of Great Britain. While need in this area is high, Dubbo presents an example of strong clinical leadership and training across many specialties.

Guests
Dr Florian Honeyball FRACP (Dubbo Base Hospital, University of Sydney)
Dr James Collett FRACP (Dubbo Base Hospital, University of Sydney)
Dr Joel Riley (Dubbo Base Hospital, University of Sydney)

Production
Written and produced by Mic Cavazzini. Music licensed from FreeMusicArchive; 'Fervent', 'Cast in Wicker' by Blue Dot Sessions, 'Hypocritopotamus' by Doctor Turtle, 'Slow Burn' by Kevin McLeod. Image licenced from Getty Images.

Please visit the RACP website for a transcript embedded with citations. Fellows of the College can claim CPD credits for listening and additional reading.