Access to healthcare remains a significant challenge across rural, regional and remote Australia, where vast distances, workforce shortages and disparities in health outcomes continue to shape service delivery.

Digital health technologies such as telemedicine, electronic health records, mobile health applications and artificial intelligence (AI) can improve access to care and reduce the need for long-distance travel.

Despite this potential, structural barriers, including connectivity gaps, workforce constraints, and fragmented policy settings, continue to hinder the effective implementation of digital health services outside major cities.

Building on existing progress, policymakers can take further steps to strengthen digital health infrastructure, support the workforce and align funding and policy settings to ensure more consistent and equitable access to digital health services.

Building on progress

Since the COVID-19 pandemic, Australian governments have advanced digital health initiatives to improve healthcare delivery in rural and remote communities.

At the national level, the Australian Government significantly expanded Medicare-subsidised telehealth services during the COVID-19 pandemic, providing healthcare through phone and video calls. The initiative improved healthcare access in rural and remote areas, reducing travel and enabling timely consultations.

The pandemic also highlighted the need for digital mental health services. Governments expanded digital mental health services to support vulnerable populations and address professional shortages. These efforts have been crucial in improving healthcare accessibility in remote regions.

The National Digital Health Strategy (2023–2028) aims to enhance healthcare access in rural, regional and remote areas using digital technologies. It emphasises innovation, better use of data and more equitable, connected healthcare delivery across Australia.

Queensland has been investing in the expansion of virtual care options, including telehealth services, to improve healthcare access in rural and remote communities. Initiatives such as the Childers Multipurpose Health Service upgrade enhance virtual care, providing timely care without extensive travel for residents.

In New South Wales, the Pregnancy Connect program has been introduced with an annual allocation of $6.19 million. The program provides consistent antenatal care, reducing travel to metropolitan hospitals and addressing healthcare disparities between rural and urban areas.

Why digital health is not yet delivered

Digital health technologies – including telehealth, electronic health records, mobile health applications, remote patient monitoring and AI – have significant potential to improve healthcare access and coordination in rural and remote Australia.

However, several structural barriers continue to hinder widespread adoption in rural and remote communities:

• Infrastructure deficiencies: Unreliable broadband and mobile networks limit the effectiveness of telehealth. Emerging technologies, such as wearable devices for remote Indigenous elders to measure chronic disease risk factors, are feasible in the short term but face challenges, including heat and poor digital connectivity.
• Digital literacy gaps: Many residents in rural and remote areas, particularly older adults and First Nations communities, may have limited exposure to digital health tools.
• Healthcare workforce shortages: High staff turnover and clinician burnout impede the adoption of new technologies.
• Regulatory and funding gaps: Lack of nationally consistent policies and insufficient investment in digital health initiatives in regional communities delay implementation.
• Privacy and security concerns: Data security risks and unclear governance arrangements on digital health technologies discourage widespread use.
• Health disparities: Populations in rural and remote areas experience higher rates of chronic diseases, mental health issues and Indigenous health disparities.

Addressing these barriers requires coordinated policy responses that strengthen infrastructure, workforce capability, digital literacy and regulatory frameworks across regional communities.

A policy agenda to strengthen digital health in rural and regional Australia

Australia’s digital health agenda does not yet consistently reflect the realities of rural and remote communities, and this contributes to ongoing disparities in healthcare access and outcomes.

To improve access in rural areas, workforce training and community engagement are essential. Enhanced funding, partnerships, infrastructure and digital literacy could foster equitable health outcomes and responsive policies. Figure 1 highlights the benefits, challenges and implementation considerations shaping digital health for rural Australians.

I propose six key principles to guide health policy responses, ensuring a more effective approach to addressing the needs of regional communities in Australia. Together, they provide a practical agenda for governments seeking to improve access, quality and system resilience.

1. Infrastructure and connectivity investments: Expanding broadband access through initiatives such as the Better Connectivity Plan, Global Positioning Systems (GPS) and Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellite deployment can help bridge connectivity gaps. Additionally, improving mobile network coverage will enhance telehealth, ensuring reliable access to healthcare for remote communities. AI-driven diagnostics can support general practitioners in remote areas, while wearable health technologies and remote patient monitoring can improve chronic disease management, reduce avoidable hospital visits and support more timely at-home care.
2. Workforce development and training: Specialised training programs should be funded and scaled to ensure that practitioners can use digital health technologies effectively, improving care quality in remote communities.
3. Policy harmonisation and regulatory support: Developing nationally consistent AI procurement guidelines would set clear standards for responsible adoption of AI-driven healthcare tools. Similarly, standardising telehealth reimbursement policies can help ensure equitable access to virtual healthcare services in rural and remote areas. Strengthening data privacy regulation will help protect sensitive health data, while robust cybersecurity measures can reduce digital health system vulnerabilities. Furthermore, promoting My Health Record adoption among providers in regional and remote areas can improve care continuity through easily accessible patient information. Interoperability among digital health systems should be strengthened to streamline care delivery by enabling seamless communication and coordination across platforms and providers.
4. Enhancing digital literacy and community engagement: Awareness campaigns should be expanded to educate regional communities on digital health, empowering technology adoption and improving healthcare access and outcomes. Engaging Indigenous peak bodies can help ensure culturally appropriate digital health solutions that align with community needs and values. Co-designing digital health strategies with Aboriginal Community-Controlled Health Services (ACCHS), Aboriginal Community-Controlled Health Organisations (ACCHO), and community groups should be prioritised to ensure solutions effectively address Indigenous healthcare needs. Additionally, multilingual digital health platforms developed with schools and public health institutions can enhance inclusivity, enabling diverse populations to effectively access and benefit from healthcare services.
5. Funding and incentives: Sustained government investment in telehealth consultations and digital health initiatives, including remote patient monitoring (RPM), can improve healthcare accessibility. 
6. Strengthening collaborative partnerships: Collaboration between government, healthcare providers, technology developers and research institutions can support the effective implementation of digital health solutions. Cross-sector partnerships can drive digital health research and innovation, fostering advanced technologies and evidence-based policies.

Future directions

Future digital health policy must move beyond short-term pilots and focus on long-term sustainability of telehealth and related services in regional, rural and remote areas. Governments could support this through three priority policy actions.

First, sustainable funding models are essential, including permanent Medicare reimbursements for telehealth, blended funding and dedicated digital health budgets for regional areas.

Second, workforce capability and retention must be strengthened through targeted digital health training, incentives for clinicians in regional areas, and embedding digital competencies in medical and nursing curricula.

Third, infrastructure investment is critical, particularly in broadband, network coverage, and satellite technologies, supported by national interoperability standards. In addition, integrating drones with digital health platforms can reduce travel burdens, support continuity of care, enable remote monitoring and improve connectivity in underserved and rural areas.

Taken together, these reforms provide Australian policymakers with a clearer and more practical pathway to make digital health in rural, regional and remote communities more reliable, equitable and sustainable.

Dr Shakeel Mahmood is a research fellow at Charles Sturt University, specialising in culturally sensitive health policy. With over 20 years of expertise in health policy, quantitative and qualitative analysis, and monitoring frameworks, he has worked with the international health research organisation ICDDR,B and universities globally. He holds a PhD in Health Policy and an MPA from the University of Maine, as well as an MBA from Trinity University and has undertaken professional training at Harvard University.

Image credit: MinixT/Adobe Stock