Australian Medical Association

Transcript: Media Doorstop, AMA NSW House, St Leonards, Sydney, Thursday 5 August 2010

Subjects: Coalition Health Policy; NSW local health networks

ANDREW PESCE: Thanks for coming.  Well there's been a lot of comment that there hasn't been enough health debate in the election so far, but I think it's going to change after today.

AMA President Dr Andrew Pesce will today release the results of a comprehensive national survey of patients’ experience with their family doctor.

The survey, the first of its kind in Australia, and conducted by Essential Research, provides timely information about the importance that Australians place on having access to a family doctor.

AMA Vice President Dr Steve Hambleton; AMA NSW President Dr Brian Morton; and AMA ACT President Dr Paul Jones will join Dr Pesce at the launch.

AMA Survey Launch:

Date:              Today, Wednesday 28 April 2010

Time:              11.00am

Venue:            Kingston Family Surgery
                        Giles Street (corner of Jardine Street)
                        KINGSTON ACT

CONTACT:       John Flannery        02 6270 5477 / 0419 494 761

AMA President, Dr Andrew Pesce, is in Canberra today and will be available for comment on the Government’s health reform plans outside the National Press Club following the Prime Minister’s address.

Dr Pesce will be in Canberra for the rest of the day and will be available for further media interviews upon request.

Dr Pesce Doorstop:

Time:        After Prime Minister Kevin Rudd’s National Press Club Address
Date:       Wednesday 3 March 2009
Venue:     Outside the National Press Club

Wednesday 6 May 2009

AMA Federal President, Dr Rosanna Capolingua, will hold a Doorstop after giving evidence to the Senate Standing Committee on Community Affairs inquiry into Compliance Audits on Medicare benefits. The AMA is concerned about legislation that will mean doctors can no longer guarantee the privacy of patient records.

AMA Vice President, Dr Mukesh Haikerwal, said that Australia needs a national health framework for the care of older people, which covers all settings where aged care is provided. Dr Haikerwal will help launch the National Aged Care Alliance (NACA) Election Kit in Sydney.

"Look, the Government's proposal next week to increase the age at which parents can access medical records of their teenage children from 14 to 16, we're coming out very publicly today from the AMA, and I suppose from all doctors in Australia, to say we think this is a bad move," said Dr Bill Glasson. "First and foremost we support the Australian family, we support the Australian family unit and we support a unit in which there's good communication between the teenagers and the parents concerned."

"We've just had a very constructive session this morning with Tony Abbott the Health Minister, and Julia Gillard," Dr Glasson said. "It was an ideal platform with both sides, who'll put their views on a range of issues, particularly around public hospitals - around how they feel they can reform the public health agenda between - public hospital agenda, between the state and federal divide."

"We've seen a consolidation budget in relation to health," Dr Bill Glasson said. "From the point of view of the aged care issues, obviously there are good initiatives in that aged care package. We need to look at it in more detail. We particularly want to know how it's going to impact on our public hospitals in relation to getting patients out of public hospitals into aged care facilities. And we'd like to specifically look at these transitional facilities whereby actually patients can access both aged care facilities and move out of public hospitals in a much more smooth way."

"When I came up here, we had raised concerns obviously about the statistics around Indigenous health, both around the, I suppose, the longevity of the Indigenous population," Dr Glasson said. "I suppose, the message I'm getting more and more over the last five days is really around trying to get some solution to this overall problem. I'd rather concentrate on the solutions rather than the problems because we all know the statistics. And, I suppose the message I want to get very clearly out there, is that we have to really try and retarget or redirect our resources."

"Obviously this year is an important year. It's an election year and we raise issues around both the Medicare policies and issues around the workforce," Dr Glasson said. "And in reality this whole election I feel in the area of health will be won or lost on health and will be won or lost on the policies around really how they're going to address this workforce shortage both in specialist and general practice areas."