Message To The Medical Indemnity Doctors' Rally Darling Harbour, Sydney Sunday 6 April 2003 From AMA President, Dr Kerryn Phelps

I am sorry I cannot be with you today but I am in hospital recovering from a pulmonary embolism.

The doctors here are really tough.  They wouldn't let me out of the ward to join the rally...not even for an hour.  Talk about an impressive team of negotiators - they wouldn't budge an inch.

I think they said it was something to do with their indemnity insurance...but seriously.

Today's meeting is vitally important.

The message you send to the Government will determine our future as doctors.  It will determine the shape of medical services in this country into the future.

We have come a long way in a few short years on solving the medical indemnity crisis.

It wasn't that long ago that people had no idea what medical indemnity was or meant.

Together we have taken it to the front pages of the papers, to the top of the news bulletins, and into the Federal Parliament... and into the homes of the Australian people - our patients.

People know what it means now and they fear what it can take away if not resolved - their doctors and their security about their health care and the health care of their family and loved ones and community.

Towns and suburbs could lose their doctors.  We can't let that happen.

Doctors could be forced to leave or amend their careers.  We can't let that happen.

Patients will lose affordable and accessible health care - things we take for granted...or used to.

We have come a long way...but there is still more to do.

The Federal Government joined us on the medical indemnity journey a year ago.  We helped them to realise they had no choice.

To their credit, they have recognised the problem and their part in the solution.

They almost produced a workable piece of legislation that could produce a workable long-term solution.

But they left out the important bits...the bits we warned them must be included.

They didn't go the final few yards - the hard yards.

Your job today is to form a scrum and push them those extra few yards.  Victory is in sight.

Tell them your stories.  Tell them how you want to look after your patients for the longer-term.  Tell them you want to keep practising medicine.

Tell them to fast track the long-term care and rehabilitation scheme.

Tell them to help us secure our professional futures and our retirement.

I wish you all the best today and you can be assured I'll be back on deck in a couple of weeks, once I've finished test-driving my private health insurance, to finish the job I started four years ago...if only these doctors would let me out of here.

Good luck.

Sydney

6 April 2003