It's been a lot. Bushfires and dust choking our air, mental health during drought and isolation and who could forget our old friend COVID-19.

Our health and the health of the greater community have been in the spotlight in ways never seen before in many of our lifetimes. Now too, in the month of October we have Pink Up Mudgee, Breast Cancer Awareness Month, Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness Month and Mental Health Month in NSW.

It is times like this we reflect on and praise the invaluable and tireless work that health professionals on the ground, in our homes and in the lab do every day.

More in opinion:

Gulgong is entering its fourth month without a doctor and Coolah lost a well-liked GP in Dr Abbas in July after five years in the town. In both of these instances the contracts these two doctors were offered effectively paid them less for the same work they had been doing for years.

We probably all know someone that's been affected by these cuts. And it isn't just physical health either. Anyone who needs mental health treatment knows that it's woefully inadequate in the region.

Why is this? Things being the way they are, I don't think it's time to be cutting back on the amount we spend on our local doctors and GPs.

I understand it's tough to get professionals to come to regional areas, NSW Health said that themselves when I asked them about Gulgong's situation last week and said the challenge was regardless of financial incentives. But if GPs are calling it quits after being offered pay cuts, I'd argue how much you're paid is one a big contributor to a doctor's decision to stay or move.

Surely, if we can all agree on one thing, it's that doctors and nurses should be paid more for what they do, not having to choose between a pay cut and leaving our towns for greener pastures in other health districts?

I eagerly await the next Federal and State budgets, which will be handed down in the coming weeks and months.

And while I have you, it can't hurt to share links to the publicly available contact details of the NSW Minister for Health Brad Hazzard.

What do you think? Your comments may be posted online or printed in the newspaper.