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Health reform hits regional Victoria hardest
5 July 2011
Regional Victoria is disproportionately harmed by the Commonwealth Government’s health reform agenda, AMA Victoria President Dr Harry Hemley said today.
“Rural and regional Victorian communities and the doctors who serve them face significant challenges as a result of their remote location,” said Dr Hemley. “The Commonwealth Government’s health reform agenda is making it even more difficult for doctors in the bush to provide the care their patients require.”
Dr Hemley made his comments following a visit to the Goulburn Valley region to discuss the issues currently confronting doctors in regional Victoria. Dr Hemley met with doctors and hospital administrators in Shepparton, Swan Hill and Echuca.
“GP Super Clinics will cost the taxpayer $528 million and yet they are not even required to be established in towns that are experiencing workforce shortages,” said Dr Hemley.
Recently released Department of Health and Ageing data revealed that 25 of the 64 GP Super Clinics will be located in areas that are not districts of workforce shortage – a designation given to areas of Australia in which the population's need for healthcare has not been met.
“They are also being placed in towns without consulting with the GPs already servicing those communities,” said Dr Hemley. “The GPs I spoke to in Shepparton had never been contacted by the Commonwealth to discuss the GP Super Clinic which will be coming to their town.”
“We have also seen the introduction of corporations running bulk billing clinics in regional Victoria. Many of the doctors that I spoke to had concerns about the level of supervision of trainee doctors working at these clinics.
“The Government is crowding out local GPs who cannot compete with heavily subsidised GP Super Clinics. Local GPs are vital in country areas as they not only act as family doctors but in many cases they also provide obstetric, anaesthetic and emergency care at local hospitals.
“Spending on unnecessary programs such as GP Super Clinics and Medicare Locals comes at a time when the Commonwealth is gutting other essential programs.”
Medicare Locals will cost $477 million to establish and will add another layer of health bureaucracy to regional Victoria. The first 4 of Victoria’s 19 Medicare Locals commenced operation on 1 July.
“The Commonwealth has cut in half the rebate for GPs providing mental health care plans. Patients will be less able to access GP mental health care plans once the cuts take effect,” said Dr Hemley.
“While this is a problem right across the country it is particularly problematic for rural Australia. Rural patients are less likely to have access to alternative mental health options – especially options that they would be comfortable using. For many rural patients, the family doctor is the first and only port of call when facing mental health issues.”
The most recent Australian Institute of Health and Welfare report on mental health services in Australia found that regional areas have less than one third as many psychiatrists per capita as urban areas.
“The Commonwealth must stop funding its health reform program by cutting health services that are vital to regional Victoria,” said Dr Hemley. “It is essential that the Government consult with General Practice at every stage of the health reform process. Otherwise, scarce health dollars will be wasted.”
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