Media release

Take the politics out of health

Patients and general practitioners have had enough, and it's time to fund health care to meet the demand.

We don't need more of the blame game.

All parties are responsible for our current situation.

All parties have failed to fund healthcare adequately, contributing to Medicare's woeful indexation and the lack of support for general practice.

We need both levels of government to invest more in primary care and find the revenue source to fund it.

Closing a practice isn't easy. It requires tremendous soul searching and is the last choice.

We support all general practices that are faced with this difficult decision; it is a sad sign of the times.

AMA Tasmania wants to see both levels of government have an honest and transparent discussion with Australians about the funding needed and revenue/tax reform that will see the government finally fund health care appropriately rather than more tax cuts that will continue to shift the cost burden of healthcare from the government directly to patients through increasing gap fees.

We would also like to see a single funder of healthcare trialled in Tasmania, which is uniquely positioned as an island state with a population of 600,000.

This would allow decisions around where to best invest the limited taxpayers' dollar to be made at a whole-system level rather than constantly being a punching bag for state and federal politicians.>>>ENDS

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