AMA FEDERAL BUDGET SUBMISSION – STRONG GP FOCUS
The AMA lodged its Federal Budget Submission for 2008-09, outlining health spending priorities to build a sustainable and equitable health system for the long term.
The AMA President, Dr Rosanna Capolingua, called for a commitment from the Government to acknowledge and support general practice as the leader in the provision of primary health care.
“GPs need greater support in their increasing roles in preventative health in areas such as obesity, smoking, and alcohol and drug abuse.”
“The Government can use the Budget to put substance to its promises to provide national leadership on public hospitals, Indigenous health, rural and aged care, in particular”, said Dr Capolingua.
The AMA Budget submission calls for increased training places in general practice, the expansion of practice nurse subsidies, higher patient rebates for aged care visits and the simplification and proper indexation of the Medicare Benefits Schedule.
(Click here to read the AMA’s media release and full 2008-09 Federal Budget submission.)
GP MRI POLICY
The AMA President has written to the Federal Health Minister, Nicola Roxon, urging her to implement the GP MRI initiative announced by the previous Government. The initiative is on hold pending a review by the new Government.
Dr Capolingua said that allowing GPs to directly order MRI scans would greatly benefit patients. “It would provide patients with quicker access to the most appropriate treatment for their condition.”
“In many instances it may save the patient needing to wait for a specialist appointment. For patients living in areas where access to specialists is more difficult, often rural areas, the benefits are even greater.”
(Click here to read the AMA’s media release.)
GP SUPPLY DECLINING
The Australian Institute of Health and Welfare report – Medical labour force 2005 – shows that while the overall supply of medical practitioners increased between 2001 and 2005, the number of GPs declined from 104 full-time equivalent (FTE) per 100,000 in 2001 to 98 FTE in 2005. In rural and remote areas, there were 92 FTE GPs per 100,000 population and just 84 FTE GPs in outer regional areas.
Dr Capolingua said the new Government must make support for general practice a priority in its first year, which will involve the Health Minister, Nicola Roxon, delivering on her promise to streamline Medicare and to get rid of all the red tape that cuts into the time that GPs can spend with their patients.
The AMA has called on the Government to expand training opportunities enabling greater exposure of medical students, pre-vocational doctors and GP registrars to general practice. The AMA has also highlighted the need to invest in infrastructure and facilities and recognise the costs to GPs of training and supervising medical students and junior doctors.
(Click here to read the AMA’s media release.)