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Women's health supported locally by female GP
17th April 2026
“…there is a lot of female medicine that's private and personal and females will put up with a lot before or without asking so they will suffer in silence for a long time," – Dr Claire Cupitt.
For the last ten years, Rural Doctors Network has secured funding under the Rural Health Outreach Fund (RHOF) to contract the Royal Flying Doctors Service (RFDS) for the delivery of a female GP Outreach service.
RHOF funds female GPs to make monthly or bi-monthly visits to identified communities where there is limited access to a female GP or women's health service delivered by a female nurse/practitioner.
This month, The Grenfell Record and Bland Advertiser interviewed Dr Claire Cupitt, who has been travelling to Grenfell as part of the Outreach service (and even prior to this) as part of a commitment to ensuring female patients have access to a female GP.
Dr Cupitt says having the option of a female GP can make a significant difference to patients, not just for early diagnosis but for overall wellbeing.
“…you pick up important medical issues but it's also about helping people feel comfortable, managing pain and just coping better day to day,” Dr Cupitt told the newspaper.
“…there is a lot of female medicine that's private and personal and females will put up with a lot before or without asking so they will suffer in silence for a long time," she said.
Dr Cupitt says despite the long travel and busy workload, it's the patients who keep her coming back.
"You do get people saying, 'we're so glad you're here, please don't stop coming’…. that's what makes it worthwhile!”
Read the full story here, including how Dr Cupitt also uses medical acupuncture to treat patients and help improve their lives.
Learn more about the delivery and success of the Rural Health Outreach Fund here.
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