Heart of Australia and Pfizer join forces to bridge rural health gaps

Heart of Australia (HoA), a pioneering mobile health service, has joined forces with Pfizer Australia to expand its GP education program, aiming to enhance healthcare delivery in rural and remote parts of the country.

Rural areas in Australia are grappling with a shortage of healthcare workers, with nearly 60% fewer health professionals compared to major cities. In these regions, general practitioners (GPs) are needed in larger numbers, often with a broader skill set, to care for populations dispersed over vast distances and dealing with higher disease burdens.

“Heart of Australia’s unique service enables us to work closely with local GPs. We are focused on collaborating with them to deliver a personalised and tailored service for their professional needs, as well as the health needs of their patients,” said Dr Rolf Gomes, Heart of Australia Founder and cardiologist. “We’re supporting their patients with ongoing education as well as providing access to equipment many remote medical practices don’t have – it can be lifesaving for many patients.”

HoA’s GP Education Program delivers essential educational sessions for healthcare professionals in remote areas, including GPs, nurses, and pharmacists. These sessions offer the opportunity to learn from specialists and network with colleagues, fostering skills that directly improve healthcare services and outcomes for rural communities, particularly in First Nations areas. Topics covered range from cardiology and endocrinology to respiratory and occupational health, all with a focus on the specific needs of rural and First Nations populations.

A key feature of the program is the mobile ‘truck’ clinical model, which has become a vital resource for residents who may find traditional clinical settings intimidating. The model has resonated strongly with rural patients, such as retired farmer John Lang, from Moura in central Queensland. Lang had previously travelled 250 kilometres to Gladstone for cardiology appointments.

“Blokes might not want to go to a hospital or a big grey building for medical attention, but they’ll happily get on a truck,” he said.

“Getting on the Heart Truck in Theodore saved my life. Dr Gomes could see I was unwell. He did an echocardiogram and found I had a leaky mitral valve. He sent me to Brisbane for a procedure. Now I make the 30-minute drive to Theodore every six months for a check-up on the Heart Truck,” Lang added.

Despite the benefits, delivering high-quality healthcare in rural and remote areas is often hindered by higher costs and limited access to healthcare services. In 2025, HoA plans to expand its fleet with five additional Heart Trucks, which will provide more specialist services, with a focus on lung cancer screening.

Dr Krishan Thiru, Pfizer Australia Medical Director and Sydney GP, emphasised the importance of HoA’s model.

“Dr Gomes has a strong relationship with the GPs in the remote towns that Heart of Australia visits. These GPs are generally very isolated with limited access to healthcare professionals to engage with face-to-face. While virtual professional development is good, remote healthcare professionals are starved of valuable face-to-face interaction and training opportunities,” he explained.

“Pfizer is committed to advancing health equity by improving healthcare access and outcomes across Australia. This partnership with Heart of Australia and its GP Education Program is an important step in addressing the healthcare disparities faced by rural and remote communities. By delivering education and healthcare resources directly to healthcare professionals in their local community setting, we are helping to build a sustainable and effective health workforce on the doorstep of Australia’s rural communities,” Dr Thiru said.

Rural Australians experience a mortality rate up to 1.5 times higher than those in metropolitan areas and are hospitalized nearly twice as often. For Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities, the life expectancy gap is even more stark, with women living 8.1 years less and men 8.8 years less than their urban counterparts.

“Small rural towns often face significant health challenges, including a shortage of healthcare professionals and higher mortality rates compared to metropolitan areas,” Dr Gomes said. “The HoA-Pfizer partnership is part of a larger initiative aimed at tackling the health disparities in rural, remote, and First Nations communities, where people face numerous barriers to healthcare access due to geographic isolation, low population density, limited infrastructure, and high delivery costs.”

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