Increasingly severe weather across Australia is heightening health risks for rural, remote and First Nations communities, while placing mounting pressure on already stretched local health services, according to the Australian College of Rural and Remote Medicine (ACRRM).

ACRRM president Dr Rod Martin said prolonged and intense weather events, including flooding and heatwaves, were already affecting the health of rural Australians and would continue to have lasting impacts.

“Australia’s often wild weather increases the risk of serious illness and injury, particularly for people with chronic conditions, older Australians, and those with limited access to care,” Dr Martin said.

“We are seeing higher demand on health services for heat-related illness, dehydration, injury and mental health support, and these pressures do not end when weather conditions ease.”

Dr Martin said rural and remote health services were frequently the first, and sometimes the only, point of care during extreme weather events, making resilience across the system critical.

“In many rural communities, local health services are operating with limited workforce capacity yet are expected to respond to prolonged emergencies and support recovery,” he said.

He said Rural Generalists played a central role during disasters and needed to be better integrated into planning and response frameworks.

“Rural Generalists are central to this response and must be better integrated into disaster planning at all levels,” Dr Martin said.

“We continue to call on governments, emergency management agencies and councils to ensure Rural Generalists are formally included in disaster response and recovery plannings.”

Dr Martin also stressed the importance of supporting the rural medical workforce itself, noting doctors were often personally affected by the same events impacting their communities.

“Protecting the health and wellbeing of the rural workforce is fundamental to protecting the health of communities where their vital services are provide,” he said.