A Canberra health provider has placed 2000 doctors into outback Australia to treat Aborigines since 2008.
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Aspen Health is celebrating the milestone and has given Dr Diana Richards, a GP from Sydney with more than 30 years' experience, a certificate to acknowledge her as the 2000th doctor to go bush.
According to the federal government, getting quality healthcare into remote areas is a positive step towards closing the gap between Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and the broader Australian population.
Aspen chief executive Glenn Keys said doctors would answer their professional calling to treat Aborigines in remote places, but were too often beaten by hurdles, mostly isolation. Offering higher pay hasn't been the answer.
Mr Keys said medicos asked themselves where they would go in isolated areas, how they would get there, what the accommodation was like, what would happen if they didn't feel safe or something arose clinically they weren't ready for.
''They get to the third or fourth question and say, 'it's just too hard','' Mr Keys said.
''So we answer all those questions for them. That's been a real strength of the program.''
Aspen manages the Remote Area Health Corp, which has enticed 80 per cent of health professionals to return for more remote placements.
Mr Keys said maintaining pay parity with remote doctors was critical, otherwise doctors who had moved their practice and their families would be disgruntled.
Aspen's model was first developed in England in areas other medical providers deemed too difficult.
After reviewing delivery of orthopaedic surgery, Aspen cleared significant waiting lists, and later turned to dental waiting lists in Australia, clearing them as well.
''You have to work with people, and find out what is the very point of their motivation,'' Mr Keys said.
Discovering why doctors wanted to go to outback Australia started the recruitment for the Northern Territory.
''It's a fantastic life experience,'' Mr Keys said.
''It's a chance to contribute to what I think is a really critical issue in Australia and one that every Australian should be embarrassed about, that we have such a huge mortality gap between indigenous and non-indigenous Australians.''
Mr Keys said mortality, access and equity gaps still challenged health professionals.
''We don't see ourselves as the answer. But we are proud to be part of the solution,'' he said.
