Indonesian health service managers are visiting health and aged care facilities around Wagga Wagga and Albury this week to gain an insight into how Australian rural hospitals are run and to learn new ways to administer emergency and health-care programs.

Charles Sturt University, Greater Murray Area Health Service (GMAHS), and several local health care providers are hosting the 32 senior administrators of both public and private health sectors in provincial areas of Indonesia from Monday 19 until Friday 23 June 2000.

The visitors are in Australia on a 13-week AusAID-funded training program managed by the CSU School of Public Health and Australian Business Health. The program based at the Bathurst Campus is designed to provide participants with an understanding and experience of the Australian health-care system, and the chance to appraise first hand the suitability of applying Australian health sector management systems and techniques in Indonesian hospitals.

The week-long field visit to the Riverina and Border regions has been organised by The Gilmore Centre for health improvement, based at CSU's Wagga Campus, and the GMAHS Rural Health Development Unit (RHDU). According to Peter Dunn, director of The Gilmore Centre and the RHDU; "Charles Sturt University has significant experience and expertise in the preparation and delivery of educational programs in health service management."

"Through the Gilmore Centre, the University has been able to capitalise on its strategic links with the Greater Murray Area Health Service to provide a truly unique field study to complement the formal teaching segments of the course," he said.

A fundamental objective of the field visit is that participants will be required to describe and analyse similarities and differences between the nature of the services visited and comparable programs operating in Indonesia.

RHDU project officer and co-organiser of the field visit Sue Sutherland said a significant effort was made to ensure that the delegates experienced a good mix of public and private facilities. "We have been amazed at the overwhelming support and enthusiasm shown by local providers called upon to host the contingent," she said. Sites being visited include the Wagga Wagga Base Hospital and Community Health Centre, the NSW Ambulance Service, Calvary Hospital, Caloola Court Nursing Home, Kurrajong Early Intervention Service, the Forrest Centre and Riverina Aboriginal Medical and Dental.

On a day trip to the Border region tomorrow, the group will also visit the Albury Base Hospital, Albury Community Health, the Centre for Public Health and the Southwest Brain Injury Unit.