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AAP
AAP
Health
Stephanie Gardiner

A $3.5m doctor's claim at centre of a budget black hole

Visiting medical officers are a vital part of delivering medical care in regional and rural areas. (Julian Smith/AAP PHOTOS)

Doctors who prop up the ailing rural health system are billing $1.3 billion per year, with a single specialist claiming $3.5 million under an ineffective government scheme creating a major budget black hole.

The $1.3 billion spent on more than 7000 visiting medical officers in NSW in 2024/25 represented nearly 10 per cent of the state health department's total clinical costs, according to an audit.

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