Doorstop AMA President, Dr Bill Glasson, Sydney - Dr Glasson comments on the latest developments on medical following his meeting with new Health Minister, Tony Abbott

GLASSON:        I'd like to begin by saying I feel we've had a very constructive meeting with the Minister-to-be.  I think there was open and frank discussion about the issues facing the profession, particularly in relation to the workforce and I'd like to feel that the process from here can move forward, I suppose, in a constructive way.          

But I'd like to make a clear signal.  This the message from our medical workforce out there who have finally sort of stood up and said enough is enough.  As you know, across New South Wales, as we speak, there's more and more surgeons, particularly orthopaedic surgeons, anaesthetists, cardiologists, really all specialties deciding that they just cannot continue to work in the public system. 

The message is that we want something done and we want it done now and we want to find a process which we can agree upon that can get an outcome, at least get a partial outcome within the next three months.

We do not want this to drag on for ever and ever and, can I signal that, if they're suggesting a moratorium, where they're going to sort of defer this tax, the insurance tax, the IBNR levy, then we'll only agree to it if we have a clearly defined pathway to follow because we do not want this to drag on day after day and month after month or year after year and the reality - this is the situation that's occurred over the last few years. 

We're talking here about the Australian medical workforce, we're talking about the fact that day by day, more and more doctors are leaving the system and our concern is that the poorest and sickest in the community are going to suffer and ultimately it may bring many of our public hospitals to a standstill.

So I suppose I send a clear signal to the Government.  As I said, we do look forward to the appointment of Mr Tony Abbott.  I think he will bring a fresh face, he'll bring a new vigour to the portfolio and I think bring a period of great consultation and I suppose that's what we ask on behalf of the profession but, in having said that, we've got to make sure that we just do not delay what we require here as an outcome for the profession and, more importantly, an outcome for our patients.

QUESTION:       What have they been able to offer?

GLASSON:        At this stage we spoke about a moratorium but, as we indicated to Tony Abbott, the moratorium would only be acceptable if there was a process attached to it whereby we could move forward, hopefully over the next three months, at least to define some outcomes at that stage. 

QUESTION:       Will we see some doctors go back this weekend therefore reducing the pressure on waiting lists because it's an immediate, urgent issue?

GLASSON:        It is an urgent issue and, as I said, if something is not declared very quickly I think that the doctors will continue to leave the system.  All I can say to the doctors out there is that Dr Ngu, myself and a number of my colleagues have had a constructive meeting with the Minister-to-be.  He has agreed, I suppose, on a process.  We want to see that sort of, I suppose, agreed upon by Cabinet so that we can actually move ahead from where we're sitting at the moment.

QUESTION:       That's going to take time.  Is that acceptable?

GLASSON:        It's going to take time, exactly, and I suppose we need to have a signal by next week exactly what the process is going to be and unless we have an agreed process I can see doctors will continue to leave the system.

QUESTION:       So if, as it looks like it will be, a moratorium's announced this afternoon, after Mr Abbott's talk with the Prime Minister, will you be recommending to doctors, look, stay put for now, let's see what happens?

GLASSON:        I think we'll have to say to the doctors, at this stage, we look as though we have a Minister - that the proposed Minister will be listening - that will actually be consultative and what we've actually got to say to them - we can't tell them to sort of lay off until we actually have something definitely we can put before them because they do not want to sort of reverse their trend, in other words, go back to work and find that in one, two or three months' time they're back in the same predicament.

As I keep saying, this is about patients, about trying to provide services in a long term and affordable way.

QUESTION:       Isn't a moratorium just going to delay the problem in that you'll have a levy?

GLASSON:        That's the concern of the profession.  If it's just a moratorium that's being offered, that's obviously not acceptable on its own.  It must be a moratorium in combination with a defined process of reform over the next three to six months particularly but it has to be sort of signalled, I suppose, within the next week what that process will be and how we're going to move ahead otherwise the profession will not accept it.

QUESTION:       What kind of process would you like to see?

QUESTION:       Aren't you, in two years' time- -

GLASSON:        The realities are that premiums are rising month by month.  We've heard today that the premiums for UMP for the higher disciplines will go up another 15 per cent and so we still are dealing with an unaffordable system.  The system is broke, it's broken and it needs fixing and so unless there's a major reform, as I say, in this area, as far as how we're going to move ahead, then we're going to revisit this scenario in probably one to two years' time.

QUESTION:       What kind of reforms do you want implemented?

GLASSON:        I think at this stage what we need to do is define what sort of medical indemnity model the Australian public need to guarantee affordability and security across the board.  The doctors are not going to continue to work in a system whereby day by day and year by year premiums rise and also in a system whereby they can still be sued 21 years after an incident.

QUESTION:       Are you confident Tony Abbott will give you any sort of security this afternoon?

GLASSON:        Yes, I am.  I'm confident Tony Abbott will provide the leadership that we need but, as I said to Tony Abbott, made it very clear to Tony, that we have to have a defined process to take back to our membership because we can't give them a whole bunch of loose promises without actually guaranteeing them some sort of process.

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