In recent conversations with local health services, it has become increasingly apparent to me that many Maribyrnong residents are not accessing the health care they need.
This is especially true for those with lower incomes, larger families, additional health issues, or needing age-related care.
While at least a third of all GP patients typically access bulk-billing, there is no doubt many more would undergo regular health checks and preventative interventions if Medicare, which practitioners have complained is “stuck in the 1980’s”, provided rebates more appropriate to the health needs of patients in the 21st century.
We are seeing this under-funding of Medicare impacting severely on community health services and general practice clinics that offer bulk-billing to all their patients, including in Maribyrnong, some of
whom are also facing doctor shortages. A full-fee private practice doctor will receive about $85 for a standard consultation.
Bulk-billing doctors receive less than half that from Medicare – about $38. A doctor working in community health is also paid about one-third of what a GP in private practice or hospital makes.
In a recent media article, Cohealth, which provides a wide range of community health services in Maribyrnong, pointed to this pay disparity between the public and private sector as the reason it is becoming more and more difficult to recruit – and why waiting lists of patients wanting to see bulk- billing doctors and community health services are also continuing to grow.
Both the Australian Medical Association (AMA) and the national association of General Practitioners (APGA) have now launched campaigns calling for general practice and community services to be put on a more sustainable footing to deliver the type of care many patients now need focused around “more care, more time and more health”.
They want increased funding for longer consultations; regular, continuous and preventative care for aged citizens; and a holistic framework of care involving other allied health workers.
I urge our community to add their voices to those of our local doctors and community services to demand healthcare that is universally accessible for our community.
