Government responds to calls to speed up the process to get doctors to bushfire-affected communities
AMA President, Dr Tony Bartone, has been in discussions with the Minister for Health about delays in GPs getting provider numbers so they can provide support to bushfire-affected communities. With this matter already under consideration the Government has responded by putting in place emergency protocols to expedite the process.
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The Government this week advised that the Department of Health and Department of Human Services will prioritise all applications from doctors who want to work in medical practices in bushfire-affected communities.
Doctors who are unrestricted in where they work can work at a new practice for up to two weeks, using their existing Medicare provider number. After that time, they must get a Medicare provider number for the new location – a process which is immediate using the Health Professionals Online Service.
Support is also available to enable restricted doctors to work in bushfire-affected communities and includes access to a six-month 19AB exemption. For more on this and the resources available to assist doctors in these communities see here.
Should any GP encounter any difficulty in obtaining a provider number to support a bushfire-affected community contact the AMA on 02 6270 5400 or ama@ama.com.au.