Rural health: The cardio gap between city and country

When cattle farmer Jeannine Oman lost her husband to a heart attack, she was exposed to the reality of regional health care in Victoria.

Danni, Spud the Standardbred horse with Lani, Jeannine, Son Kane, grandson Noah with jack russell Breno and Joji. Picture: Zoe Phillips

Cattle farmer Jeannine Oman’s life was turned upside down when she lost her father and her husband in quick succession in 2023.

But her husband’s death due to a heart attack, coupled with her own diagnosis of cardiomyopathy, gave her renewed focus on highlighting the disparity between country people and city dwellers when it comes to cardiovascular care.

Ms Oman represents the one in four regional Australians who live with cardiovascular disease, compared to one in five in cities.

Ms Oman’s doctor, Ryan Spencer, is a 3.5-hour drive from her home in Koyuga in Victoria. She said many farmers were unable to leave the farm for a day to travel to see a specialist.

“I was prepared to travel, I knew I’d have to travel as there’s no-one up here,” Ms Oman said.

“There are no cardiac facilities, or anything like that. It’s quite frightening.”

Based out of Geelong and offering telehealth services across western Victoria, Dr Spencer said while there may not be a higher burden of disease in country areas, access to screening for cardiac disease and treatment was less accessible.

Jeannine on her farm with her sheep. Picture: Zoe Phillips

“It just doesn’t seem to be getting better, and is possibly moving backwards in some areas,” Dr Spencer said.

A short-term goal for the sector should be a focus on more healthcare practitioners in regional areas in general practice, Dr Spencer said, along with more staff in specialist care and allied health.

But the uptake of telehealth in regional areas has been a positive change in recent years, Dr Spencer said, and an opportunity to better connection rural patients with specialist care.

“Everyone is working hard to do their best, and further relying on tech to fill that gap,” Dr Spencer said.