Rural and Remote Medical Services

 

Rural and Remote Medical Services (RARMS) was established as a charity in 2001 by a group of dedicated rural doctors with the support of rural and remote communities.

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These doctors saw first-hand the devastating impact of the withdrawal and centralisation of hospital services in their communities.
 

Today we support over 22,000 people across 40 communities, providing vital health, medical and social services. A quarter of the people we support are Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander people. 

Across Australia, rural and remote communities are losing their local health centres due to doctor and nursing shortages. Often, once a town loses their health centre they will never get it back.

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At RARMS, our goal is to help our communities recruit doctors and nurses and to run sustainable local health centres, so services are not lost forever.

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RARMS does not receive government funding to help this goal. We rely on the support of donors, foundations, businesses, and any income we generate from business activities. This includes our Balmain medical practice Village Health, where 100% of the profits subsidise services in rural and remote communities.​

 

Our staff work tirelessly every day on behalf of rural and remote people to keep local health centres going and to provide access to health care when it is needed.