Dr David Rivett, Chairman of the AMA's Council of General Practice, with ABC Radio, 'AM' Program
LINDA MOTTRAM: Back here in Australia, much has been said about the difficulty in attracting doctors to rural and regional areas with local councils, among others, now offering a range of incentives to try to maintain a reasonable level of medical services.
Now though, doctors are being accused of getting greedy, of taking advantage of rural communities by pitting them against each other in a bidding war for their services. Among doctors' demands, to have local councils pay for private schooling for their children.
Rebecca Carmody reports.
REBECCA CARMODY: Nyngan in northwest New South Wales has been struggling to attract a second doctor for the past year and a half. Local Mayor, Ray Donald says that's because his shire council has been unable to meet the demands of the few GPs willing to move there.
RAY DONALD: We offer rental assistance, 70% rental assistance for the surgery and the residence but I've also heard of requests, or use the word demands, for a vehicle to be provided and also the provision of a surgery and a residence, provision of a doctor's assistant, a receptionist and even to the stage where they would be prepared to work for a negotiated salary.
REBECCA CARMODY: Ray Donald says the bidding war between councils for the few available doctors has become so intense that many shires have raised the bar by paying for the private education of doctors' children.
RAY DONALD: I don't think they should have the expectation that what you might call an essential family expenditure should be met by the local community and certainly not to what might be called an exclusive school.
REBECCA CARMODY: The President of the Shire's Association of New South Wales, Mike Montgomery, says the situation has become untenable for many shires which he says shouldn't even be in the business of attracting doctors.
MIKE MONTGOMERY: Really it's not council's responsibility to do that. It's the state or the federal government, it's the area health boards that really should be providing those facilities.
REBECCA CARMODY: The Australian Medical Association says doctors are entitled to seek a good deal because when they work in rural areas, many are on call for 24 hours a day.
Dr David Rivett is the Chairman of the AMA's Council of General Practice. He claims that in some towns GPs earn less than teachers and dismisses any suggestion of greed.
DR DAVID RIVETT: This is a misperception based on the public, common public misperception that GPs earn large amounts of money.
REBECCA CARMODY: The allegation though is that doctors are asking above what is reasonable. Have demands such as cars and schooling gone too far?
DR DAVID RIVETT: I think if you want to attract GPs to these remote sort of areas, these sort of things have got to become standard I'm afraid.
LINDA MOTTRAM: Dr David Rivett, the Chairman of the AMA's Council of General Practice. Rebecca Carmody reporting.
Ends