Federal budget still under review

Transcript: AMA Queensland Vice President Dr Nick Yim, ABC Wide Bay, Breakfast with David Dowsett, Thursday 11 May 2023

Subjects: Federal budget, Queensland regional workforce initiatives

DAVID DOWSETT:   In this week's federal budget - bulk billing incentives designed to reduce the cost-of-living pressures. The government is tripling the incentive paid to doctors who bulk bill certain patients. And the state government’s jumped in now, they jumped in yesterday announcing cash incentives for the next two years for registered medical practitioners who move to rural and remote locations. They'll receive a $25,000 payment after three months of service and an additional $25,000 after 12 months. There's also incentives for those who move from interstate and overseas.

So will this help our GP shortage and will it make it cheaper and more accessible for you? Let's catch up with Hervey Bay GP and AMA Queensland Vice President Dr Nick Yim. Nick, good morning. So all these announcements must be music to your ears.

DR NICK YIM:    Yeah, it's definitely positive news to hear that the federal government has announced tripling of the bulk billing incentives, because we know over the past couple of years the community has been hurting. We have seen general practices, some of them, close down. And obviously, many patients are seeing a rise in out-of-pocket expenses because the Medicare rebate for the patient just hasn't kept up with the times.

DAVID DOWSETT:   When it comes to bulk billing, how much of a headache is that for GPs?

DR NICK YIM:    We know many of our patients within the community are vulnerable - the children, people who are elderly, chronic disease, people on healthcare cards - but at the same time the challenge is also balancing the practice budget. Obviously the practice needs to be viable to remain in that community. There are some practices that are still bulk billing currently and this tripling of the bulk billing incentives might actually buy some time for that practice before they implement private billing.

DAVID DOWSETT:   So you think it'll be enough to really make a difference?

DR NICK YIM:    I think ultimately it comes down to the mathematics of the budget within that practice. Some practices run on very, very, low staffing – with nurses, obviously costs might be higher. We know that the Medicare rebate for the patient just hasn't kept up over time. It doesn't meet and it hasn't actually been increased significantly. It's only the bulk billing incentive, not the actual rebates, that have been tripled.

DAVID DOWSETT:   So for our listeners, it will be cheaper to go to the doctor?

DR NICK YIM:    It really depends. Obviously the devil's in the detail and it will depend on practice to practice. But yes, for those practices that choose to bulk bill the listeners in regional areas, it will be tripled from November 1, and it depends on that individual practice.

DAVID DOWSETT:   And the state government, well, they didn't want to be left out, did they? They've jumped in as well with a $25,000 payment after three months of service and an additional $25,000 after 12 months, and incentives for those who move from interstate and overseas, getting registered medical practitioners who move to rural and remote locations, they get those extras. What did you make of that?

DR NICK YIM:    Yeah, obviously, we’ve been talking about recruitment and retention in regional towns for some time now. It's something where we know that we need doctors, health professionals, and this is a welcome investment by the state government. Obviously we've been seeking them and obviously other states, they've been offering incentives. So this is definitely a bonus for us. It makes Queensland a bit more attractive and competitive to recruit from overseas and interstate.

DAVID DOWSETT:   Yeah. So do you think that will happen in practical terms?

DR NICK YIM:    I think definitely that's an additional carrot, definitely. We know that the state government has announced many beds in regional areas, but as you can imagine, we do need health professionals to service those beds. So we definitely need that increase in workforce. And all of us, we've seen the growth in population across the Wide Bay. So we'd like to see these health professionals move up.

DAVID DOWSETT:   Yeah, is money though really enough to make a difference? Are other things needed to attract and retain GPs?

DR NICK YIM:    I think financial reasons, I think that's something where it is one component, but as you can imagine, housing, we also need to ensure that the spouses also have their jobs, at the same time schooling. So it's a multifaceted approach. It's not just one thing, but I think it does go part of the way.

DAVID DOWSETT:   Anything else you would like to have seen in the budget that wasn't there for GPs?

DR NICK YIM:    Obviously it comes down to the detail. It's only been announced a couple of days ago, so obviously over the next couple of weeks we'd like to review everything because obviously it's not just about tripling of the bulk billing incentive. There's obviously other incentives that may have gone in place for the general practice and we'll be reviewing all those and hopefully there's more positives to come in the future.

DAVID DOWSETT:   All right. But hopefully a step in the right direction. Nick, appreciate your time. Dr Nick Yim, GP in Hervey Bay and AMA Queensland Vice President on ABC Wide Bay.