Interview - Dr Bill Glasson, AMA President, Channel 7 'Sunrise' - Doctors quitting in droves over insurance prices

KOCH: Well, it's a dark day for the medical profession and us. Doctors are quitting in droves because of insurance concerns.

DOYLE: And that, of course, is another blow to our hospital system. Dr Bill Glasson is President of the Australian Medical Association. Good morning to you, Dr Glasson.

GLASSON: Good morning to you, Mel.

DOYLE: Could you just explain for everyone, bring us along to exactly what is causing this mass exodus from today?

GLASSON: Well, put very simply, under the previous system we had, if you were insured when an event occurred, when a medical mishap occurred, then essentially you were covered for the rest of your life, whether you'd retired, whether you died, or whatever.

As from today, there is a new system whereby, if an event occurs, that it's reported in 21 years time, then essentially you're not covered. And so we've gone from having a superior product where doctors felt they were completely covered and completely secure to a system now where essentially the products that we can buy, the insurance products we can buy, in fact give us limited cover.

And so the doctors feel a great degree of uncertainty, a tremendous amount of anger and frustration with the system and, really, on behalf of their patients, they're really crying out and saying, 'Listen, patients, we do have one of the best systems in the world. We have one of the most affordable system that is just unworkable and ultimately will be unaffordable.'

KOCH: Hang on, who put this system in? Because this all goes back to the collapse of that doctors' insurance company, doesn't it? And to try and retrieve the situation, a new system has been implemented. Who's implemented the system and why have they gone this way and sort of ignored the advice?

GLASSON: Yeah, I mean David, you're right. When UMP collapsed, the Government came in to try and stabilise the medical indemnity industry, which they have done, and they've done certain amounts to try and stabilise, I suppose, the doctors per se. But the real issue, as I keep describing it - it's a bit like the Titanic, it's got so many holes in it and it's leaking from all sides that people are trying to patch it up. But in reality the system is wrong.

And what lies ahead of the Titanic is two large icebergs. One is affordability, and the other one is workforce. And those two issues are going to drive doctors out of the profession.

KOCH: Just explain that again. Affordability, I can understand because insurance premiums have gone up. What's the workforce bit?

GLASSON: Well, the workforce issue is that, as of today, but really over the last 12 months, a lot of doctors decided that it's just too difficult, it's too complex, and it's too uncertain to stay as a doctor. And a lot of people are just retiring out of the industry. For instance, the best and busiest obstetrician in Queensland now runs a newsagency. Now, he's decided that it's just too risky. He can't stand the fact of the on-going uncertainty and a lot of them are just retiring out of being doctors.

DOYLE: So Dr Glasson...

GLASSON: And that's the truth.

DOYLE: Sorry, I didn't mean to interrupt you there.

GLASSON: You're right.

DOYLE: Nuts and bolts, then. What is going to happen? How is it going to affect us as patients? Am I going to walk into the hospital tomorrow and are there going to be less doctors? Are there going to be less surgeons? I know that a recent survey was saying something like one in five surgeons are intending to retire from today.

Now is that a bit of scaremongering or is that actually what's going to happen? There's going to be that many less doctors available to treat people?

GLASSON: Mel, the reality is just as you've just said. The reality is that there's going to be less doctors out there to see, and what we took for granted that we would go into the hospital and find the best paediatric surgeon or the best orthopaedic surgeon, they're not going to be there. And the reality is that we're heading for the largest workforce crisis this country's ever seen.

Now, we've said this over and over again over the last six to twelve months but people are not listening.

KOCH: Who, who's not listening? Who's ignoring you?

GLASSON: Well, I think the reality is that we talked to the governments and they have, as I said, they've tried to patch the situation up.

KOCH: So this is Kay Patterson...

GLASSON: Well, this is more than Kay.

KOCH: ...the Health Minister?

GLASSON: I think it's the whole - of governments at both a State and a Federal level. So there's responsibilities on all levels of government. And I suppose it's a responsibility on society as well, to realise the situation that we're in; to put pressure on the politicians to actually try and get the changes we need to try and stabilise this whole situation.

At the moment the doctors feel a great degree of uncertainty. As I say, they feel anger on behalf of their patients because they're destroying what is one of the best systems in the world. By the time we wake up, there won't be the doctors out there to treat you and I.

KOCH: If I can just summarise because it is a complex issue, the two issues are the cost of the premiums - and they've gone through the roof - and the fact that it's 21 years into the future that a doctor can be sued. That's the big issue. If you limit those two, well then you're going some way to getting all the doctors back?

GLASSON: Exactly, David. If they said today that doctors will require insurance for the first say three or - three years for adults and six years for children - and we'll have another system to cover all those claims that fall outside that statute, then I think the doctors would be very happy. But they're sick of waking up in the morning knowing they're going to have a 21-year tail to cover when they're not quite sure they've got the insurance to cover it.

KOCH: All right, hopefully that's Kay Patterson on the phone or a couple of the State Premiers. And we'll follow this through. Can you keep us up to date if there are any changes as well?

GLASSON: We certainly will, David.

KOCH: Appreciate that. We look forward. Thanks for your time.

That is a real issue that we've got. It's got to be solved.

DOYLE: It's startling to think that he puts a case forward that is so scary and alarming. I'm wondering does the Government grasp it or where's the missing link. You know what I'm saying?

KOCH: And how did it get to this stage that doctors aren't turning up for work today? All right, we'll keep you up to date with that as we get news and hopefully some adjustments there.

Ends