AMA launches patient petition to urge major parties to support family doctors

The AMA has launched a petition for patients to sign at their local medical practice to urge the major parties to produce election policies that will support family doctors to continue serving their communities.

Posters and petitions under the heading – Family medicine is running out of time! – are being made available to practices around the country from today.

AMA President, Dr Andrew Pesce, said today that Australia’s family doctors are under enormous pressure.

“Australia has an ageing population, which means that there are more people with chronic and complex health conditions who require more time with their doctor,” Dr Pesce said.

“Bureaucratic red tape in the form of paperwork and processes for Government is keeping family doctors away from spending more time with their patients.

“Medicare patient rebates have not kept up with the cost of delivering health services, and this also affects the amount of time that doctors can spend doing what they do best – caring for patients.

“Some of the new GP Super Clinics are being opened too close to existing general practices, and this is affecting the livelihood of many local family doctors.

“Now that the election campaign has commenced, the AMA is giving people a voice to call for policies that will support family doctors and ensure that they can continue to provide quality medical services and health advice in their local communities.

“Good health policy will win votes for the major parties, and supporting family doctors is a very good health policy,” Dr Pesce said.

The AMA is asking patients to sign the petition to urge the major political parties to produce policies that:

• Support your right to choose your family doctor;
• Support your right to see your family doctor as often as you need to;
• Support the central role of your family doctor in delivering health care and advice to you and your family;
• Provide support that will enable you to spend more time with your family doctor when you need it; and
• Cut red tape – minimise the paperwork and processes that reduce the time that family doctors can spend caring for patients.

19 July 2010

CONTACT:         John Flannery                       02 6270 5477 / 0419 494 761

                       Geraldine Kurukchi                 02 6270 5467 / 0427 209 753

Follow the AMA on Twitter: http://twitter.com/amapresident