Obstetrician Survey Confirms Medical Indemnity Crisis
Results of a survey of obstetricians released today confirm the medical profession's worst fears about the effects of the medical indemnity insurance crisis.
The survey - conducted by the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RANZCOG) - covered 115 responses from qualified recent fellows of RANZCOG and trainees in the last two years of their six year specialised training course.
President of the AMA, Dr Kerryn Phelps, said today the survey is further evidence that governments must act quickly and decisively to put an end to the serious threat that medical indemnity poses to doctors and patients.
"When a quarter of respondents to this survey indicate they will not proceed to practising obstetrics, the alarm bells are ringing loud and clear," Dr Phelps said.
"We have already seen doctors prepared to leave existing practices because of problems and costs associated with medical indemnity.
"Now we have specialists reluctant to enter practice for the same reasons.
"This is not a pretty picture for the future of medical service delivery in this country."
Dr Phelps said that since 1999 the AMA has led the campaign for medical indemnity reform, commencing with the Medical Indemnity Crisis Summit.
Other AMA initiatives include:
- Lobbying Federal Government for taxation changes to facilitate structured settlements
- Lobbying the ACCC to allow rural and remote area rosters for doctors
- Conducting a review of UMP, which insures around 70 per cent of doctors
- Forming Medical Professional Indemnity Task Force in 2000
- Pushing for tort law reform
- Pushing for expert witness procedural reform
- Working with State Governments to stem loss of doctors from rural and remote areas because of high premiums for medical indemnity insurance.
Dr Phelps said doctors are dedicated to providing the best possible care for their patients but they are hindered by escalating insurance premiums and an increasingly litigious working environment.
"It is time for governments - all governments - to act on medical indemnity," Dr Phelps said.