In October 2008 the Commonwealth Government released Towards a National Primary Health Care Strategy - A Discussion Paper from the Australian Government. This discussion paper is the first step towards the development of a National Primary Health Care Strategy by the Commonwealth Government.

The AMA welcomes the Government's commitment to the development of a national primary health care strategy. There is no doubt that a strong primary health care system delivers high quality, equitable and cost effective health care outcomes for the whole community. The AMA has now formally responded to the discussion paper by lodging a detailed submission highlighting that Australia has a world-class health system, underpinned by an excellent primary health care system that is the envy of many other countries.

According to the AMA submission, the key to the success of primary health care delivery is the provision of comprehensive, continuous and coordinated patient centred care by general practitioners. The AMA submission urges the Government to build on this platform by adopting the strategies and recommendations outlined by the AMA in its submission.