Dr Kerryn Phelps, AMA President - ABC Radio - Budget 2001-02
WILLACY: Dr Phelps, $900 million enhancing Medicare. Isn't that what doctors have been calling for?
PHELPS: No. This falls way short of the mark. The Relative Value Study (RVS), just for medical fees, would require about ten times as much into this Budget and, we're very disappointed particularly, for general practice, that the rebates will be, I think, very deficient and the patients will start to notice that their gaps increase.
WILLACY: But the rebates have increased, though, haven't they?
PHELPS: Very marginally. I mean, if you look at the total amount that's going into general practice, it's $300 million over four years, which would amount to no more than about 75 cents for a standard consultation. The RVS indicated that the standard rebate should be doubled from its current level of about $23.00.
WILLACY: What about the rural aspects of this? You've got funding for 100 rural nursing scholarships. You've got increases in funding to rural and regional Australians' health services. Surely that is welcomed?
PHELPS: Rural doctors are disappointed. They don't believe that the increase in their practice costs will be covered by these initiatives. Certainly, it would be a welcome to recognise that practice nurses would be a welcome addition to rural practices, but we figure about $8,000 per practice is not going to buy you much of a practice nurse.
WILLACY: Kerryn Phelps, thanks for joining us.
PHELPS: Thank you.
Ends