Our Federal Health Minister needs to get out more and talk to some coal-face practitioners
Health Minister Greg Hunt says his pact with the RACGP is evidence that GPs have cast off their resentment over the ongoing Medicare rebate freeze.
Speaking at the AMA National Conference in Melbourne, the minister said the government was putting $550 million into “GP support” over the next four years with its staggered ending of the rebate freeze outlined in the May budget.
“It’s a very significant increase, and its been backed by the written agreement and the comments of the GPs,” Mr Hunt said.
Re-indexation of patient rebates start year, but only for incentives for bulk-billing of concession patients, costing just $9 million. The thaw will not progress to other GP items until 2018-19, adding to financial pressure on GPs for another year.
On budget night, Mr Hunt revealed he had signed “compacts” with the RACGP, the AMA and other health-sector groups setting out a shared vision for cooperation in the future.
The peace deals came after the government suffered a massive setback in last year’s election, scraping home with a margin of just one seat, after medical groups joined a fierce campaign against the coalition’s cuts to health spending and Medicare.
Addressing AMA delegates at the conference in Melbourne last Friday, Labor Opposition Leader Bill Shorten described the agreements as “cash for no comment”.
New figures obtained by Labor from the Parliamentary Budget Office showed the government held back $3.2 billion from patient rebates by refusing to end the freeze on all items in the latest budget, Mr Shorten said.
“The impact this year will be $735 million this year,” he said.
Asked whether he was confident that GPs would be appeased by the delayed return to indexation, at a rate below inflation, Mr Hunt said he had assurances from the RACGP.
“I can only go on the comments of the Royal Australian College of GPs, which have been extraordinarily positive both in their press release and in the many, many interviews (RACGP President) Bastian Seidel has done,” the minister told reporters.
“The release from Bastian Seidel, the comments of (AMA President) Michael Gannon at the time of the budget, the written partnerships, they are all evidence that this is fundamentally important.
“We are investing $550 million in GP support through the budget over four years and it represents about $2.2billion over 10 years. Those figures are not just unequivocal; but they have been welcomed by the college of GPs.”
At the conference, Mr Hunt also announced the government would invest in suicide prevention and mental-health services for medical professionals in the wake of a troubling spate of suicides by junior doctors.
“I am determined, Michael, to offer a partnership between the government and the AMA for us to provide new investment directly into caring for carers,” he said, addressing Dr Gannon from the podium.
