Lives on the Line with $8b Deficit in Rural Health

Lives on the line with $8b deficit in rural health

Some country towns are being forced to fundraise for their own community-led medical centres, while those in the cities get double the healthcare funding.

Rural Australians miss out on $8.35 billion in healthcare every year – and it’s getting worse: NRHA I Australian Rural & Regional News

National Rural Health Alliance (NRHA), Media Release, 25 August 2025 Rural Australians are missing out on $1,090.47 in healthcare funding per person every year, compared to city residents – a funding gap the National Rural Health Alliance (NRHA) warns is costing lives. “The Forgotten Health Spend: A Report on the Expenditure Deficit in Rural Australia” tells a story of how we starve our rural Australians of healthcare access,” said Susi Tegen, …

Rural health gap growing (and growing and growing) - Medical Republic

The government spends about $1100 less on healthcare for each person living outside of Australia’s major cities.