Rural and remote communities across Australia are being urged to nominate an outstanding rural doctor for the prestigious RDAA Rural Doctor of the Year Award 2018.
Entries for the annual award close on 16 July, with the recipient to be formally announced at the gala awards dinner of the Rural Medicine Australia 2018 conference in Darwin in October.
RDAA President, Dr Adam Coltzau, said: "Rural doctors, together with other members of the rural healthcare team, are the backbone of healthcare in the bush.
"Our annual award aims to recognise those doctors who have gone above and beyond the call in serving their communities or the rural health sector itself.
"In many rural communities, local Rural Generalist doctors not only provide much-needed general practice and primary care services in their practices but they are also the local hospital doctor, providing emergency care around the clock at their town's hospital.
"They often also provide one or more of a wide range of other services like obstetric care, anaesthetics, general surgery, paediatric care, geriatric care, advanced mental healthcare, and advanced Indigenous healthcare.
"Our annual RDAA Rural Doctor of the Year Award has, for many years, recognised amazing rural doctors who have made a significant impact in their communities, regardless of whether they have only been in their communities for a short time or devoted virtually their entire career to care for their rural community.
"Many have also devoted much of their free time to represent the rural health sector at the highest levels of government, to fight for better access to healthcare for rural patients and to keep rural hospitals open.
"We encourage rural communities across Australia to nominate a dedicated rural doctor for this prestigious award.
"While there can only be one recipient of the award, all the doctors who are shortlisted as finalists by our awards committee will be recognised on our national website at www.rdaa.com.au.
"We look forward to receiving nominations for some very deserving rural doctors in the weeks ahead."
The selection criteria and nomination form are available on the RDAA website.