The Government Diabetes plan is a just another attempt at introducing a British NHS capitation system-start with Diabetes and gradually involve everyone. I think the AMA has a better plan and streamlining access for Diabetics and other chroinc conditions to their allied health needs would help.

why is no-one commenting about the "rurality scale". What bright bean counter in Canberra decided that Townsville with a university and 100's of specialists is more rural than Mackay( apparently because it is further away from Brisbane.)Similarly Charters Towers and Townsville are the same rurality. How can rural areas attract doctors when obviously rural areas are not given any loading???Do the politicians know any towns north of Newcastle??? Not even the rural doctors are talking about it

I still see no promise of support from either party for run-of-the-mill General Practice. There is plenty of funding for Superclinics and specific larger reforms while PIP payments and medicare rebates are being slowly whittled away. The last boost we had was prior to two elections ago when both parties were handing out offerings to GPs. Now we have silence for the last, and this, election. Come on Pollies, does the rank and file GP deserve to go under??

The AMA plan certainly has some merits. Chronic disease management best practice needs a summit in my view. There may be some good intentions in the Government capitation scheme but it is shameful they did not consult adequately at all with the profession before releasing their poorly thought out and controversial scheme. Where is the GP Unity Group in all this?? Does it really help for the AMA to stand aloof of the implementation committee?? As both an AMA Member and active Division person, I don't like some of the AMA attack on the AGPN ( the same old !) - again we deserve a summit debate with all the many experts and advisors to come up with a better plan. Surely that is possible. I still don't know what the Coalition position is. I fear that both parties have backed off serious reform agenda for general practice. I only seem to hear of GP Super Clinics and Hospitals and EDs. That is ultrafrustrating and disappointing after all the Reform documents released in the last 12 months.Implementation has been virtually non-existent.

Surely removal of the after hours incentives in 2011 and setting up Medicare Locals is one of the most retrograde steps to hit general practice and our patients since provider numbers were initially rationed. This is going to push more patients into already crowded emergency departments as there will no incentive to provide out of hours care that we have always been providing in regional areas. Setting more hurdles to access out of hours care is a recipe for disaster. Does anybody listen or talk to coalface gps about these issues??

I refer to a recent e-mail from AMA president.

I am a rehab physician, pain medicine specialist and ambulatory care physician. I have been AMA member for many years but I really feel that we are left out of the agenda of AMA and governments. For example, government support e-Health for GP but nothing to the specialists. How can you talk about e-health if only GP, and hospitals have funding to develop e-health, but mostof the specialists cannot afford it?

You have been talking about Super GP clinics but have been ignoring a small group of specialist physicians working hard on Ambulatory care or hospital in the home programs etc, supporting patients in the community and GP, providing specialists care and keeping patients at home. Despite all the politician talking about keeping patients in community, there is little funding going to the Ambulatory Care services, despiting the phenomenal increased workload of these services. I believe there are already enough attention to support the GPs but what is needed is further development of full multi-disciplinary Ambulatory Care service to support GP and patients in community both in metropolitian and rural areas.

Chronic pain is a hugh silent problems and costly to the community. A lot of funding is needed to support the multi-disciplinary specialist pain service to deal with this problem. The waiting list of pain clinic is now about 3 years! Unfortunately it is very mentioned by the Politicians, and AMA presidents.

Similar problems occur in Rehabilitation Medicine. People keep talking about Aged care problem. But what about younger people with disability?

How can we talk about chronic disease management by involving only the GPs but forget about the specialist physicians who are serving the community patients?

I really don't understand why I am still a member of AMA, or why any specialists remain a member of AMA. Maybe we should have another organisation for specialists, and let AMA represents the GPs

Regards,

I appreciate the frankness and honesty expressed. What he or she says is true. Specialists need a voice. One reason better Divisions of General Practice and the AGPN have been helpful to general practice and GPs is that there is an effective infrastructure and voice (pace the vocal critics of the AGPN !!) Yes the AMA needs to represent all the profession. It is good that there are forums like this to express opinions freely.
Peter Keith GP Wagga Wagga