President's Update: World Family Doctor Day, ministerial meeting, Bupa concerns, mental health reforms, and new state presidents

Firstly — Happy World Family Doctor Day! OK, I’m a little late as it was on Monday, but why not drag it out a bit. GPs truly are the backbone of our healthcare system, providing essential continuity of care —from pregnancy through childhood, adulthood and into aged care. The relationship between a GP and patient also happens to be one of the most cost-effective ways to keep Australians healthy, treat illnesses early, and avoid unnecessary hospitalisations. Thank you to all our GPs out there for everything you do. 

I was in Canberra this week and had the pleasure of meeting with Health Minister Mark Butler early in this new government term. I urged him to consider the ongoing reforms needed to address the increasing complexity of care we are all facing. We look forward to working constructively with the minister and the department to maximize the value of commitments already made, and to develop further reforms. 

On a more sobering note, I must highlight a concerning development in our private healthcare landscape. Bupa's aggressive vertical integration plans to significantly expand its network of medical centres and mental health clinics raises serious alarm bells. Their reported agenda to funnel up to 30 per cent of cases through Bupa-controlled facilities threatens to push Australia towards a US-style system of vertically integrated managed care. The inherent conflict when an insurer both funds and delivers care is glaringly obvious.

Clinical decisions must remain between doctors and patients — not influenced by insurers or corporate interests. We urgently need the government to establish a private health system authority to oversee this sector. Equally troubling is Bupa's plan to offer genome sequencing to selected customers, creating opportunities to potentially bypass community-rating protections.

More positively, our Mental Health Committee met this week to progress a suite of reforms ensuring patients of all complexity levels can access appropriate care. While prevention is crucial, we've neglected complex chronic mental illness for too long. 

Finally, I'd like to welcome our newly elected state presidents: Dr Simon Judkins (Victoria), Dr Peter Subramaniam (South Australia), and Dr John Zorbas (Northern Territory). I sincerely thank the outgoing presidents — Dr Jill Tomlinson, Dr John Williams, and A/Prof Robert Parker — for their dedicated service and leadership. There is so much on the healthcare agenda, and it takes each and every one of our members, but particularly our leaders, to make sure we progress the necessary policy and advocacy to protect our members and build the health system our country needs. 

Tomorrow our Federal Council will meet online, and I look forward to updating you next week!