Interview - Dr Bill Glasson, AMA President, Radio ABC 612 Brisbane - Federal Health Minister meets with State Health Ministers

MACGREGOR:      So will today be the day State Health Ministers accept $42 billion?  Not likely they say.  Federal Minister Kay Patterson's meeting with her State counterparts in Perth, in what's being seen as a last ditch attempt to reach agreement on the five-year funding deal for public hospitals.

Senator Patterson has offered the 42 billion over five years, but only if the States match the funding.  But the States that actually means $1 billion less than before and they say they won't sign.

It all means the AMA for one, doesn't hold out much hope for today's meeting.  Bill Glasson from Queensland is the Federal President of the AMA.  Good morning to you.

GLASSON:             Good morning to you Kirsten.

MACGREGOR:      Now Kay Patterson's refused to attend the past couple of meetings with the State Health Ministers.  Does her presence today, do you think, means she might be prepared to give a little?

GLASSON:             I don't think so Kirsten.  I think is a scheduled meeting they've had in the pipeline for some time, which she had agreed to come to.  But I think there will be usual sort of shouting across the table today, and I think the outcome will be pretty predictable - the States will sort of hold their line, the Commonwealth will hold its line, and then there'll argy bargy over the next month or so, finally one gives in and they sort of slowly crumble.

The reality is that the money that is being offered, certainly by the Commonwealth, is $1 billion less over five years than under the current formula we have been using.  And given the costs ...

MACGREGOR:      You do agree with that?  I mean that, that is in dispute, you agree with the States, it is one billion less?

GLASSON:             Yes it's been, it's been calculated.  That's a true and realistic figure.  So it is, is a lower offer.  And I suppose particularly in the context of what it's costing, or the increase in medical costs across the board, in the sense that the normal Consumer Price Index is about one third of the medical index - in other words in health, inflation is rising a lot higher than normal elements of the inflationary index.

And, so the reality is that the cost of providing medicine is getting to the stage that we have to really re-look or re-think the way we're funding hospitals; I suppose re-look at the way we're delivering care, and for that to occur - particularly across the disciplines of the Commonwealth and the State, we have to sort of take off our political coats - if that's possible - and realistically focus on patients and focus on what's happening in the hospitals.

And you've only got to walk into a public hospital these days to see what's happening.  And they are under a tremendous amount of pressure, tremendous amount of strain; they're trying to do more and more with less and less.

MACGREGOR:      Well indeed.  In a moment we'll hear more about that Brisbane hospital that couldn't provide blankets in emergency.

But we're talking 42 billion.  Do you think the States should be accepting?

GLASSON:             Well I think in reality, I don't think we should sort of reach a stalemate on this.  I think the State has its responsibility to make sure they at least match what the Commonwealth's putting up.

But I think we've just got to go back and start, you know, start again.  I think that this system by which every five years we sit down and have this ridiculous argument - we're trying to make the foot fit the shoe rather than the shoe fit the foot - is unrealistic.  And there is not enough money in the system, and I suppose we as taxpayers have to decide are we going to increase our, you know, GDP on health?  And I think the realistic thing is we're gonna have to.

MACGREGOR:      So in the meantime the States are right not to sign?

GLASSON:             Well I think the States should.

GLASSON:             I've had a lot of pressure from a lot of my own AMA members who work in this area as well don't worry.

MACGREGOR:      I take it you're not gonna name her.  She might be ex-communicated.

GLASSON:             No that's exactly right.  I did speak with her about the issue, and she suggested to have actually been name, she'd certainly be out of the system.  So, but that's a lady who works within the system.  She sees the, you know, the social circumstances that a lot of these kids find themselves in.  And we've got something like 80,000 I think, abortions a year.  We have to try and address that, but in doing so, I don't think - I've got to go back to my council and they've got to sort of agree what to proceed with.

But I think that we've got a, allow access to these emergency pills, contraceptive pills, but at the same time we've got to make sure these kids actually get access to proper counselling, proper long-term relationship with a general practitioner so that they don't use this as a sort of form of contraception.

MACGREGOR:      Okay Bill.  Thank you very much.

GLASSON:          My pleasure.  Good morning to you.

MACGREGOR:      Good morning.  Bill Glasson, the Federal President of the AMA - and the role a Brisbane nun played in changing his mind about selling the morning-after pill over the counter.

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