Skyrocketing regional airfares hurting patients needing specialist care

Résumé détaillé

Residents and medical professionals say WA's reliance on FIFO doctors leaves regional residents vulnerable to rising flight prices.

Medical services in regional WA are directly impacted by high airfares.

Local practices say flight costs are hurting their ability to attract doctors and provide care.

The Productivity Commission is due to release its final report on regional airfares next year.

Residents and medical professionals say Western Australia's increasing reliance on fly-in,fly-out doctors for specialist care leaves country patients heavily exposed to skyrocketing regional airfares.

An interim report from the Productivity Commission released this week found regional Australians are paying excessive fares to travel within their own state.

The commission found short regional flights were on average 173 per cent more expensive per kilometre than major routes.

The same flights, often only provided by one operator, are used by medical specialists to visit regional areas across WA.

Specialist Centre practice manager Latrice Porter said airfare costs were a growing issue for regional practices.

She said locking in visiting staff for her centre in Albany, 400km south of Perth, was becoming increasingly more difficult.

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