Psychiatric telehealth services to return to rural and regional Australia

The federal government will allocate $47.7 million in next week's budget to reintroduce bulk-billed video telehealth psychiatric services for Australians living in rural and regional areas. Key points: A Shoalhaven medical clinic manager says the cuts likely had a drastic impact on people in need The government says people in regional and rural areas have endured a particularly tough few years At the moment patients face hundreds in up-front costs for treatment The service was cut by the previous government in December last year, but Labor made an election promise to restore it. New South Wales South Coast general practice manager Annette Pham said the loss put a huge amount of pressure on already overstretched rural and regional doctors and emergency departments. 'Significant toll' Health and Aged Care Minister Mark Butler said "a perfect storm of factors" had "taken a significant toll on people's mental health" over the past few years. The federal government said reinstating the funding would mean a 50 per cent fee loading to bulk-billed Medicare Benefits Schedule psychiatry services delivered by video telehealth, with more patients able to access support free of charge.