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Roxon must protect general practice in country Victoria
14 April 2009.
AMA Victoria today has urged Health Minister Nicola Roxon not to penalise Victorian country GPs through loss of funding from a restructure of Commonwealth rural health programs.
The Federal Government is reviewing rural workforce programs and the classification system that determines how Commonwealth incentive payments are made. Early indications are that the present classification scheme will be replaced with a new system that disadvantages Victoria.
AMA Victoria President Dr Doug Travis said any changes which resulted in country GPs losing rurality-based funding grants could drive doctors out of rural Victoria or, more likely, cause a reduction in services.
“Many rural and regional GPs depend on rurality-based grants to run their practices.” Dr Travis said. “This includes funding to expand services, such as employing overseas trained doctors and practice nurses, plus support for junior doctor training, locum relief for doctors to have time off, and recruitment schemes to attract doctors to the area.
“If a practice’s rural classification was removed, this funding would disappear, or be substantially reduced. The result would be limited patient services and the risk of driving doctors out of rural areas.
“We need to be increasing the incentives for doctors to work and stay in rural and regional areas, not limiting them.”
Dr Travis said the measurement of rurality now used to determining the level of incentives – the Rural, Remote and Metropolitan Area classification system (RRMA) – worked, but needed readjustment from time-to-time.
“The RRMA classification system should be retained and updated every five years in line with census data. Other relevant indicators such as population, access to health workforce, and illness indicators should also be used to determine how incentive programs are targeted.
"These classification systems should be designed to ensure people can get the health care they need.
“Simple distance-based measures are crude and can be badly targeted. Straight line distances do not correspond with access in our geographically diverse state – mountains, lakes and roads can make towns more isolated than they seem when you simply measure distance.
“If the Minister wants a new classification system, she must guarantee that no country general practice will lose funding that is currently used to provide valuable services to their community.”
Dr Travis said a rural workforce program consultation process was required. “The Commonwealth government should consult widely about any proposed changes,” he said.
“We are already short of doctors in country Victoria; we can’t afford to see further reductions in medical services as a result of workforce program reclassification.”
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