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.

"We recognise that Tony Abbott is first of all the trusted confidante of the Prime Minister and certainly a spear-carrier for the Prime Minister," said Dr Bill Glasson.

"What we've been seeing over recent years is a change in the balance of the numbers of people being bulk billed versus the numbers of people being privately billed and I think that the comments being made by the Prime Minister and the Treasurer over recent days are a timely reminder that the initial meaning of Medicare was not for everyone to get free health care because health care was never free. What it was about was a safety net for people who couldn't afford to pay private billing," Dr Phelps said.

"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."

"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."

This morning I've delivered a very strong message to a large group of parliamentarians, at a parliamentarian breakfast here in Parliament House, about the future of Medicare, the future of the medical profession and how we can go about ensuring that we have a workforce that can meet the needs of the Australian population now and into the future.

"I just want to bring to your attention - we've had a premium come out of South Australia in the last 24 hours for obstetricians, who are basically from New South Wales, they will be charged $140,000. I repeat, $140,000," said Dr Bill Glasson. "And I can tell you that if you send out $140,000 premiums to our obstetricians, or any other doctors around this country, there will not be any workforce."