President and CEO update - May 2023
With the first half of 2023 rapidly drawing to a close, AMA Queensland continues to work for all doctors and patients to secure the best healthcare for our community.
We have seen an injection of investment into general practice in the federal budget, and moves by the state government to make regional practice more financially viable for overseas and interstate doctors. We are continuing to call for real solutions from all levels of government. The decisions we make now will be felt in the healthcare we receive in 10 years’ time.
New Health Minister
Shannon Fentiman was sworn in as Queensland’s new Health Minister on 18 May to tackle the challenges surrounding maternity services, ambulance ramping, emergency department waits and hospital bed block.
We have worked with Minister Fentiman before in her previous portfolio on drug law reform and look forward to collaborating with her in future.
It is heartening that her first visit as Health Minister was to Gladstone and Mackay, where disruptions to maternity services continue to affect families.
Former Minister Yvette D’Ath was a hard worker in a very difficult portfolio and we thank her for her dedication and cooperation.
She took on board our calls for more hospital beds, for mental health protections for doctors and all healthcare workers in public hospitals, and incentives to recruit and retain doctors in regional areas.
We wish her well in her return to her former role as Attorney-General.
Federal Budget
General practice was front and centre of the federal budget for the first time in a decade with the tripling of the bulk billing incentive, a new formula for increasing Medicare rebates, funding for some wound treatment and for the shingles vaccine, and some investment in workplace incentives.
We are looking into the detail of these changes, and the proposal for some voluntary patient enrolment measures, over the coming weeks.
However, it is already clear that trebling the incentive will not have the impact on bulk billing rates the government has predicted. It may help practices that currently bulk bill to stave off the decision to start charging vulnerable patients, particularly in rural and remote areas. However, it will do little for practices in metropolitan areas.
It’s an encouraging short-term measure but it does not fix the bigger problems with Medicare rebates, which have not kept pace with inflation for decades.
We were disappointed there was nothing in this budget for our public hospitals, for ramping and our overstretched emergency departments, and will continue to work with our colleagues around the nation for an increase in Commonwealth funding for public hospitals.
We need action from both levels of government to address the challenges facing our healthcare system.
Regional workforce
The state government has listened to our calls for action to attract and retain doctors and healthcare workers to regional Queensland, and announced financial incentives for interstate and international doctors to relocate.
We have sought more information on how the incentive scheme will work, including which stages will qualify, and whether it will include private practitioners as well as Queensland Health staff. Queensland Health has provided this information
Queensland Health is developing a workforce plan. It is critical that the plan covers GPs, other specialists, nurses, allied care, pharmacists, physiotherapists, public hospitals, private hospitals, and aged and disability care.
We also need streamlined regulations to make it easier for international medical graduates (IMGs) to enter Australia and begin practising, while still ensuring we are training enough Australian graduates.
State Budget
The Queensland government will hand down its budget on 13 June. While last year’s budget promised significant investment in our hospitals, in particular the 2,500 new hospital beds, we still don’t know where Queensland Health will source the staff needed to operationalise those beds.
Our main priority this year is workforce, particularly the women’s health workforce. Public obstetrics and gynaecology services are failing throughout Queensland. Maternity units are closed or on indefinite bypass in many regional, rural and remote towns including Biloela, Gladstone, Theodore and Cooktown.
This situation is disgraceful in an advanced economy. We have called for immediate funding to support at least 20 GPs to train as GP obstetricians, and urgent implementation of statewide credentialling for all public health staff.
We will be releasing our budget submission in the near future.
MOCA 6
The Medical Officers’ Certified Agreement No 6 (MOCA 6) has been certified, providing the employment contract for all junior and senior doctors who work for Queensland Health.
Our industrial relations partner, ASMOFQ, first started negotiating MOCA 6 with Queensland Health in March 2022 and we commend them on their work for doctors.
MOCA 6 includes wage increases of 4 per cent, 4 per cent and 3 per cent over the three years, back paid to 1 July 2022, rostering improvements and increased attraction and retention allowances for rural generalists.
AMA Queensland and ASMOFQ will be hosting events to share information and answer questions about the new agreement.
Influenza season
We remain concerned about levels of influenza vaccination in our community. Queensland is well below the national rate of vaccination for people aged under 50 years.
As of 14 May, only 8.5 per cent of Queensland children under five years had been vaccinated, compared to 21.5 per cent in the ACT and 10.6 per cent nationally. For children five-14, the figure was 5.1 per cent compared to 6.2 per cent nationally, and for those aged 15-49, it was 10.8 per cent compared to 11.7 per cent.
While reminding patients about vaccination is important, it’s also critical that vulnerable patients are aware of their eligibility for antiviral treatments for influenza and COVID.
If a patient is at high risk of severe illness and they have symptoms of COVID or flu, they should book a telehealth consultation with their GP to discuss their eligibility for antiviral medication as soon as possible.
Pharmacy prescribing
In the lead up to the federal budget, the AMA launched a campaign calling for the implementation of a Pharmaceutical Benefits Advisory Committee (PBAC) recommendation to implement 60-day dispensing for selected medicines.
We wrote to Health Minister Mark Butler and followed up with letters to MPs, prompting support from independent MP Monique Ryan. The RACGP also backed calls for the change.
The government has agreed to implement PBAC’s recommendation. The discretion to prescribe a two-month supply of one of the 325 selected medicines will remain in the hands of a patient’s doctor and can only happen where the patient is considered stable and clinically suitable.
These are medications for chronic conditions and they are for people who have been very stable and well-managed on those medications.
This is a considerable win for patients.
Our patients are increasingly distressed because of cost-of-living pressures, and whatever helps patients to access healthcare more easily, safely, and with less expense makes good sense.
Vaping
The federal government has also announced a crackdown on liquid nicotine products to tackle the scourge of vaping.
We welcome the changes to ban the importation of non-prescription nicotine vapes and making vapes only available in pharmacies with a doctor’s script.
Queensland was awarded the AMA/ACOSH Dirty Ashtray Award last year for the government’s failure to regulate and enforce regulation of the sale of vaping products to protect children and young people.
With their bright packaging and sweet flavours, vapes are clearly targeted at attracting a new generation of non-smokers, not as a cessation aid for older smokers. People who have never smoked before are vaping.
Together with the Queensland government’s proposed tobacco control laws, which are due for consideration by the parliament this month, we are finally seeing action on this emerging threat to our young people’s health.
Queensland Parliament
It is a sign of our hard work and advocacy on behalf of patients and doctors around the state that we keep getting mentioned in the Queensland Parliament.
We were constantly name-checked during debate on the Health and Other Legislation Bill, which made Health and Hospital Board directors responsible for staff mental health and wellbeing, and the Police Powers and Responsibility and Other Legislation Amendment Bill, which expanded the police drug diversion program to drugs other than cannabis.
Senior Doctors Conference
We are pleased to be partnering with the Australian Senior Active Doctors Association (ASADA), led by AMA Queensland Board member Dr Geoff Hawson, to host the second Senior Doctors Conference in August at Waters Edge Brisbane.
Last year almost 100 senior active and retired doctors from across the nation travelled to Redcliffe for the inaugural conference, discussing topics ranging from CPD requirements to encore careers for those choosing to wind down practice.
We welcome suggestions for topics and speakers. Contact events@amaq.com.au.
In the meantime, save Saturday 19 August in your calendar and register to secure your place.