Barriers to Rural Dermatological Healthcare

Australia has the highest rates of melanoma in the world, with over 16 000 people being diagnosed with melanoma this year[1]. Melanoma is the second most common cancer for men1 and third most common cancer for women1, so it is not surprising that these cases are not only on Australia’s coastal fringes, with rural melanoma rates also high[2].

The usual barriers exist for rural patients to access healthcare for the diagnosis and treatment of their melanomas, such as the tyranny of distance and less specialists available in rural areas. But Dermatologist Dr. Michelle McRae from Pinnacle Dermatology in the NSW Central West, points out the often overlooked barriers to her patients being able to receive dermatological healthcare.

‘I run a busy fulltime practice, as we service a huge rural area of over 350 000 people. When my patients finally get in to see me, they can present with 2 or 3 melanomas. Depending on the skin cancer, further treatment can sometimes mean driving the extra 3-4 hours to Sydney on multiple occasions, after already travelling several hours to see me. Many of my patients are running farming businesses that they are unable to leave – the cost of time is a huge factor for them. Some are also reticent to visit the city as they aren’t used to navigating the roads.

What I also see are the traditional stoic, country people, who are used to ignoring health issues with a ‘just get on with it’ attitude. They may not have a resident GP in their town, they often aren’t aware that these issues are important, or that there may be medical services or treatments available. This leads me to seeing patients later than ideal, resulting in more complicated skin cancers and other dermatological issues.’

Visiting Dubbo Dermatologist Dr Deshan Sebaratnam agrees that barriers to patients accessing dermatological healthcare has led to this result. ‘My patients have spent the last few years battling drought, and then in 2020 COVID19 kept them at home and put limitations on doctors travelling to the country areas. This has compounded the challenges in accessing healthcare for patients in rural areas, causing delays in presentation with patients coming in with more advanced skin cancers.'

Melanoma Institute Australia (MIA) is dedicated to preventing and curing melanoma through innovative research, treatment and education programs. MIA often sees rural patients who need to travel to receive further treatment for their melanoma diagnosis.

Janet Kelly from Wagga Wagga was one such patient who ended up at MIA in 2017 after being diagnosed with Stage IV melanoma. ‘We were told the cancer was inoperable, and that the only accessible treatment was in Sydney (5 hours away) at the Melanoma Institute Australia.’?

‘The thought of having to leave my family, local community and my trusted medical advisor to travel to access treatment left me in a complete panic.?I wasn’t comfortable with the crowds in Sydney or trying to get around, especially when my diagnosis had left my family and me distraught.

MIA’s Professor Georgina Long AO was amazing and offered a treatment plan that gave us hope.?Without a doubt, I am one of the lucky ones for which immunotherapy has been successful.?My family and I thank the researchers at MIA and Professor Long every day; without them, my story would be very different.’

SunSense sunscreen is proud to once again support Melanoma Institute Australia (MIA) via the $1 Donation Campaign 2021*. The support from its partnership with SunSense allows the MIA team to continue their important work for all Australians - wherever they live.

The campaign will see SunSense donate $1 from every SunSense product sold in Australian pharmacies to MIA, until 28th February, 2022.

Funds raised during the $1 Donation Campaign will go towards MIA’s world-class research and treatment facility, which is dedicated to preventing and curing melanoma, through treatment, research and education.

Always read the label. Follow the directions for use. Avoid prolonged sun exposure and wear protective clothing, hats and eyewear to further reduce risk. Frequent re-application is required

*From the 1st September 2021 till 28th February 2022, $1 from every SunSense sunscreen purchased at Australian Pharmacies will go to Melanoma Institute Australia who are dedicated to preventing and curing melanoma through innovative research, treatment and education programs. Up to the value of $230,000.

[1] Australian Government. Australian Institute of Health and Welfare. Cancer Data in Australia. [Internet] 2021 [Cited 2021 October 11th ] https://www.aihw.gov.au/reports/cancer/cancer-data-in-australia/contents/cancer-rankings-data-visualisation

[2] Australian Cancer Atlas. [Internet] 2021 [Cited 2021, August 16th ] https://atlas.cancer.org.au/app

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