Interview - Dr Mukash Haikerwal, AMA V ice President, with Geraldine Doogue, Radio National 'Life Matters' - Sustainable balance of doctor / patient ratios and medical workforce planning

DOOGUE:            ... And the shortage has been highlighted in current debate about medical indemnity insurance.  So this morning we're going to have a crack at that too, with the help of the Vice President of the Australian Medical Association, Dr Mukesh Haikerwal.

My guest now joining us is the Vice President of the Australian Medical Association, Dr Mukesh Haikerwal.

Dr Haikerwal, these are not new issues for you, are they?

HAIKERWAL:      No, Geraldine, good morning, thanks for the opportunity. 

No, obviously the issue of workforce shortage has been something that we've been highlighting, firstly during the more recent Medicare - suburban and some metro areas - we're crying out for more medical personnel.  Because the degree of expectation with the community for the quality and number of medical services is increasing.

DOOGUE:            So, is patient care being compromised, do you believe?

HAIKERWAL:      I believe if we let things continue the way they are patient care will definitely be compromised.  Currently we're struggling on and doing a pretty good job, not only in general practice but in our public hospitals.  We've seen across the nation the public hospitals struggling under the load that they're encountering - carrying through.  But there's no fat left in the system and there's no fat left in the training areas either.

DOOGUE:            ...  Mmm.  So isn't that an obvious answer?  Mukesh Haikerwal, does the AMA seriously want to tackle that?

HAIKERWAL:      Yeah, look absolutely, Geraldine.  I mean it was again an interesting experience on the weekend, there was a GP summit where the four major GP groups got together with members of the community who are basically involved in general practice.  So not just the medicos but also the nursing staff, the allied people, the practice managers and so on.

And one theme that came through quite clearly throughout that whole summit process was the need for the primary healthcare team.  In other words a team - not just the doctors but also supported by allied health workers and of course nursing people as well.

And, look, that model is fine.  We're very support of the collaborative work model with all the professionals, especially nursing staff, because it's a very good way to go.  And certainly that's worked.

What we do have a concern about, and certainly have talked about previously, is where it's complete substitution and independent workers in these areas.  Because we believe that doesn't bring the same level and access of care as we'd expect across a country.

DOOGUE:            And look I couldn't go - I've just got to have another minute, or cadge another minute.  Our Monday economist, Peter Martin, quoted Geoff Richardson, a very prominent and well respected health economist, I think, two weeks ago on our program talking about death rates and the proportion of GPs and specialists serving a population, that the ideal, as it were, was six per 10,000 of population for GPs - whereas the range in Australia was one to thirteen - and specialists two per 10,000 - and the range was nought to 28.  Suggesting, Mukesh, that we need a lot more useful debate, possibly, about the ideal supply and demand ratio between doctors and the population.

HAIKERWAL:      Look, there's no doubt about that and we're very deeply engaged in this process supportive of the AMWAC process - our own Secretary-General of our organisation sits on the AMWAC committee and is actually currently in Europe at an international workforce discussion on medical issues.  And they'll talk about things like, you know, sucking in the doctors from countries where they need more like - and the WONKA* world.  WONKA is an international GP organisation - national - international GP organisation that passed the Resolution of Melbourne, deploring the taking in of people from countries where they're needed more.

And all these issues, some of them were very keen to progress with AMWAC and certainly with the government.  And it's not just a matter of wringing hands and shouting about it, it's actually getting solutions - real solutions - proper training opportunities for our students, not duding* our students by getting them into medical school and charging them and then making them go to places they don't want to go to, and areas like that.

DOOGUE:            Okay, this is a debate that will go on.  I notice every weekend there seems to be another meeting of doctors.  I don't know what it says about the issues of the time.

Ends