Albert Einstein said that "in the midst of every crisis, lies great opportunity".

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There is no mistaking that Australia's regional healthcare system is in crisis. According to the Department of Health, rural and remote areas face chronic shortages of healthcare professionals, with vacancy rates for medical and allied health roles considerably and consistently higher than in metropolitan centres.

In May alone, more than 30,000 health and medical job ads were posted nationally, with regional areas disproportionately affected.

The consequences are stark for regional Australians: poorer health outcomes and higher rates of preventable hospitalisations. Most worryingly, life expectancy is some seven years shorter for men and six years shorter for women in remote areas compared to their urban counterparts, according to the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare.

The relative scarcity of GPs in regional Australia is where the city-country healthcare disparity is at its most obvious. Speaking to ACM, one pregnant woman who relocated to a country town summarised the issue: "There are three GPs in town and mine's also my obstetrician, so he agreed to take the family on his books. Otherwise, you can't get in to see a GP; there's a waiting list of at least 100 people."

In recent years........

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