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AMA calls for summit to focus on medical indemnity

Today's editorial in the Courier Mail outlining the insurance industry's call to broaden the medical indemnity summit to include public liability insurance highlights the need for the summit to focus clearly on its primary purpose, the continued provision of medical services, AMA Vice President, Dr Trevor Mudge, said today.

The Prime Minister recently announced a high-level forum on medical indemnity insurance with the aim of looking at solutions to the national medical indemnity crisis.

Dr Mudge said the Prime Minister's decision to convene the summit, early this year, would help provide some certainty for patients and doctors faced with crippling insurance premiums and security for millions of Australians in the continuity of their health services, particularly in rural areas.

"This summit is the opportunity to develop a national plan on medical indemnity so that patients not only maintain their rights but also have access to services and doctors can afford to continue to work.

"The recent announcement by some state governments to fully indemnify all Visiting Medical Officers for work they perform in public hospitals is an indication of governments' awareness of the broad range of problems faced by doctors and the community," Dr Mudge said.

However, the exponential rise in premiums - in some cases more than $100,000 a year for certain specialists - simply cannot be sustained by doctors and their patients without spreading the cost across the community.

"As a practicing obstetrician, it would be a shame to see the end of obstetric services in this country, before something actually happens. Let's hope we can get in ahead of that."

"The AMA is very encouraged by the Prime Minister's decision to hold this medical indemnity summit, and we're really looking forward to seeing a long term solution to this continuing problem," Dr Mudge said.

CONTACT: Sarah Crichton (02) 6270 5472 / (0419) 440 076

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