When Marco Giuseppin was working as a doctor in rural Queensland, he got a call about a motorbike accident on an outback station.
A lack of mobile reception meant Dr Giuseppin had to offer medical advice over a landline phone call, which was then relayed to the crash site via two-way radio.
Another time, he was unable to treat a child suffering minor burns after a video call dropped out due to poor connectivity.
"The family had to drive a significant distance for a face-to-face consult, which could have been avoided had I been able to complete the consult via telehealth," Dr Giuseppin told AAP.
"It really is a lifeline for the bush."
Experiences like those are behind a renewed push from the Australian Medical Association to bolster connectivity in the bush, particularly as major flooding hits rural Victoria, NSW and Tasmania.
The association is urging the federal government to improve coverage and performance, through a combination of fibre, wireless, mobile and satellite technology.
"Regional, rural and remote Australians often struggle to access health services that urban Australians see as a basic right," the AMA's new position statement says.
"These inequalities have led to lower life expectancy, worse outcomes on leading indicators of health, and poorer access to care compared to people in major cities."
The doctors' peak body wants stronger telecommunications infrastructure that can withstand natural diasters.
"We've all heard stories about remote locations relying on phone lines that are strung above ground and as soon as there's a light dusting of rain the lines go," said Dr Giuseppin, a recent chair of the AMA's Council of Rural Doctors.
"We would really like to see that end."
The AMA also called on the government to identify black spots and prioritise those areas in expansions of National Broadband Network infrastructure.
The position paper asks the government to act on several recommendations from this year's Regional Telecommunications Review, which said connectivity should be given the same priority as energy and roads.
An Infrastructure Australia report in March said connectivity was in the top five gaps in regional areas, alongside housing, water security, education and public transport.
Dr Giuseppin said distance always divided the city and the bush, and technology should reliably bridge that gap.
"We now have the ability to deliver a service remotely and rural patients should overwhelmingly be the beneficiaries of that."
"Practically that's not what we're seeing.
"The vast majority of Australia, geographically, still doesn't enjoy internet speeds fast enough to support video streaming in real time.
"That compromises our ability to provide care."
