Australia's top doctors call for mammoth overhaul of 'out of date' Medicare
Australia's top doctors are calling for a mammoth overhaul of the "out of date" Medicare system.
The Australian Medical Association (AMA) today announced its Modernise Medicare proposal to address critical issues in healthcare and general practice across the country.
AMA President and GP Dr Danielle McMullen said the current Medicare system, which came into effect in the 1980s, was an archaic model.
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The AMA is calling on the Labor government and opposition to invest in and reform Medicare. 9News
"General Practice is the cornerstone of healthcare in Australia and the foundation of that is built on Medicare, but medicare was built in 1984 and it's out of date," Dr McMullen told media today in Canberra.
"We now found ourselves in a time when people have more chronic disease, more mental illness, more problems to see the GP with.
"The average consultation time for a GP in Australia is now 18.7 minutes. Medicare was not built to support that consultation length."
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AMA President and GP Danielle McMullen. 9News
The AMA is calling on the Labor government and opposition to modernise Medicare with major investment and reform.
Dr McMullen said Medicare was reaching a "critical point of no return" if it was not reformed to suit Australia's ageing population and changing healthcare needs.
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"At the AMA we have a plan to modernise medicare, to revolutionise medicare debates for all Australians and to address the workforce shortage for all Australians," McMullen added.
"We plan to introduce a 7-tier medicare item structure."
The AMA is proposing an extra 500 training rotations in general practice for early career doctors and an extra 500 GP training places to address the predicted shortage of 10,600 GPs by 2031/32.
The average consultation time for a GP in Australia is now 18.7 minutes. Justin McManus
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Dr McMullen also called on the government to address the inequality in pay for GP trainees compared to their hospital colleagues.
The plan would also see doctors given increased funding for longer consults without the cost being passed onto the patient.
"The failure to invest in Australia's GP workforce has left general practice in a situation where it is struggling to keep up with community needs and we need meaningful policy changes to turn this situation around and ensure patients can access the care they need," Dr McMullen added.
The estimated cost of a Medicare rebate reform could reach over $4 billion over the next four years.
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