PM addresses AMA Parliamentary Dinner

The AMA held its annual parliamentary dinner at Parliament House in Canberra on Tuesday night. The event was attended by the Prime Minister, the Leader of the Opposition Leader, Health Minister Nicola Roxon, Shadow Health Minister Peter Dutton and a large cross-section of the Federal Parliament and the medical profession.

In his dinner address, the Prime Minister said that GPs would be a very important part of any reforms to the delivery of primary health care. He said that he had heard first-hand during the community consultations on health reform that the Government needed to recognise GPs as the backbone of the health system.

In his reply, AMA President, Dr Andrew Pesce, outlined practical ways to strengthen general practice, including:

building on Australia’s world class general practice arrangements,
legislation to allow pharmacies to be co-located within or adjacent to general practices – a practical solution for improving convenience for patients,
the provision of new infrastructure funding for existing general practices, and
the provision of more support for general practice nurses.

Read Dr Pesce’s address to the parliamentary dinner here.

AMA participates in 12th Annual Health Conference

Chair of the AMA Council of General Practice, Dr Rod Pearce, last week participated in discussions during the 12th Annual Health Congress, which considered new approaches to health care delivery.  

Dr Pearce told delegates that the AMA believed a single funder for primary health care would enable greater integration of primary health care services. He also reiterated the AMA’s proposals for enhancing the integration of primary health care services, including the need for more support for GP practice nurses and better arrangements to help GPs care for patients with chronic and complex disease.

Primary care debrief for pandemic H1N1 2009

Dr Pearce will participate in a Commonwealth Department of Health and Ageing sponsored debrief on the response to the pandemic H1N1 2009 in Canberra on 15 March. Late last year the AMA called on the Government to hold a debrief to ensure that the lessons learned in general practice informed future pandemic response arrangements.

Dr Pearce will highlight that GPs’ experience during H1N1 2009 showed that they are the frontline in a pandemic and need to be closely involved in the jurisdictional and national planning for future pandemic events.

During the debrief the AMA will highlight the need for better communication, improved access to personal protection equipment and antivirals, and clear clinical protocols.