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Budget Backlash 2014 AMA National Conference Download the Australian Medicine BUMPER ISSUE app, free at your favourite app store Budget backlash AMA changes leadership but not message: overhaul co-payments, reinstate hospital funds AMA National Conference: all the news, action and colour, 40 pages, beginning page 17 7 ‘Four-minute medicine’ fears over Budget cuts 9 Public hospitals face funding crunch 10 Doctor training casualty of short-term Budget fix 67 ABC pulls Catalyst show over statins claims 69 Anti-vax message rubbished INSIDE 70 E-health set for overhaul ISSUE 26.11 - JUNE 10 2014 www.doctorsdispute.com.au In this issue Managing Editor: John Flannery Editor: Adrian Rollins News 7-15, 67-69 Production Coordinator: Kirsty Waterford Contributor: Sanja Novakovic 17 AMA NATIONAL CONFERENCE Graphic Design: Streamline Creative, Canberra Special feature Advertising enquiries Regular features Streamline Creative Tel: (02) 6260 5100 5 PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE 63 RURAL HEALTH Australian Medicine is the na tion al news publication of the 6 SECRETARY GENERAL’S MESSAGE 64 AMSA Australian Medical Association Limited. (ACN 008426793) 42 Macquarie St, Barton ACT 2600 58 PUBLIC HEALTH OPINION 65 ETHICS AND MEDICO-LEGAL Telephone: (02) 6270 5400 Facsimile: (02) 6270 5499 59 GENERAL PRACTICE 66 HEALTHY AGEING Web: www.ama.com.au Email: [email protected] 60 DOCTORS IN TRAINING 70 HEALTH ON THE HILL Australian Medicine welcomes diversity of opinion on national health 61 SALARIED DOCTORS 71 WINE issues. For this reason, published articles reflect the views of the authors and do not represent the official policy of the AMA unless stated. Contributions may be edited for clarity and length. Acceptance of advertising material is at the absolute discretion of the Editor and does not imply endorsement by the magazine or the AMA. All material in Australian Medicine remains the copyright of the AMA LEADERSHIP TEAM AMA or the author and may not be reproduced without permission. The material in Australian Medicine is for general information and guidance only and is not intended as advice. No warranty is made as to the accuracy or currency of the information. The AMA, its servants and agents will not be liable for any claim, loss or damage arising out of reliance on the information in Australian Medicine. President Vice President 3 Associate Professor Dr Stephen Parnis Brian Owler the health system. PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE The AMA is also worried about the impact on Budget of broken dreams preventive health care. There is a new financial barrier for people to have vaccinations. The latest figures show a decline in the vaccination rate. The The 2014 Federal Budget is still in the news. A lot of people do not realise that there has also co-payment could contribute to a further decline, been a $5 cut in the Medicare patient rebate. Recent Budgets have raged for a day or two, which would be devastating for public health. maybe a week, but this one is still up in lights. The We are most concerned about vulnerable patients The debate so far has been centred on the co- Government has not been able to move on to other in our society, particularly Indigenous Australians, payments, but I think the public hospital funding things, like bedding it down. those in aged care, the working poor, and those with chronic disease. changes will explode once people turn their The Senate will decide its future, but groups attention to the cuts. such as the AMA will help determine how the There is the example of a young woman that might The traditional public hospital funding blame game BY AMA PRESIDENT Senators view the impacts of the Budget on their present, for instance, with a breast lump. constituents – and influence how they vote. between the Commonwealth and the States – ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR If that’s investigated and the patient has follow-up which we thought may have gone away – will be BRIAN OWLER The AMA believes that the proposed changes in in pathology and radiology, the total co-payments back bigger than ever. health policy have the potential to dramatically add up to about $63 in terms of co-payments alone change the way health services are delivered in this – but even more given the loss of the diagnostic There was a commitment under the National Health The country, but not necessarily for the better. imaging bulk billing incentive. And you can add Reform Agreement that the Commonwealth would medicines on top of that. That is a lot of money for fund 50 per cent of gross funding for our public The combined impact of the GP co-payment, the traditional“ public people on low incomes or people who are elderly or hospitals. That seems to have now disappeared. Medicare rebate freeze, co-payments for pathology chronically ill. It all adds up. hospital funding and radiology, co-payments for visits to emergency And even though the Federal Government is putting blame game departments, and cuts to public hospital funding The safety net is a limit of 10 co-payments for more money into public hospitals, to fund a growth will hit the most vulnerable patients and place people with concessions and people under 16 rate of CPI plus population is certainly well below between the enormous pressure on the capacity of our public years of age. the growth rate in the budgets for health for the hospitals. Commonwealth But there are many people that fall outside of that states, which is usually around 6 or 7 per cent. The Government’s measures will have an alarming safety net, particularly those with chronic disease. and the States It means that the states will have a shortfall. impact across the health system and they indicate And so even a total of ten $7 co-payments, $70, for – which we a massive shift in the universality of healthcare. some people, particularly if there are a number of It’s going to affect front-line clinical services. It’s people in the family, is prohibitively expensive. thought may There has been a lot of focus on GP co-payments, going to affect the training of our young doctors have gone away but people need to realise that it’s not just about There is no doubt that the co-payment will be a that are coming through to be the GPs and other that. big problem for patients in aged care and for the specialists that we need to maintain the sort of – will be back doctors who treat them. standards of health and quality of health care that The AMA is not against co-payments, in principle. we’ve all come to know and enjoy. bigger than ever But we are against the co-payment model the There are red tape issues for medical practices, Government has adopted. There are insufficient too. I do not think the Government has grasped the The AMA will be doing what it can to get changes protections, and there is a cumulative effect. extent of the impact of these co-payments across to these policies. ” COMMENT 5 SECRETARY GENERAL’S REPORT National Conference a timely celebration of the AMA The AMA National Conference was held over challenges in medical practice. Dr Margaret the adoption of a new AMA Constitution at the the last weekend of May in Canberra with the Mungherera, President of the World Medical Annual General Meeting by an overwhelming theme Global Practice: Australian Perspective. Association and a practising psychiatrist, majority of members and to acclamation of the brought home the reality of access to medical meeting. This significant step forward in the As the Conference followed soon after the services for many in the world when she pointed governance of the AMA provides the opportunity BY AMA SECRETARY Federal Budget, there was plenty of opportunity out that in her home country of Uganda there is for more effective processes to develop strategy GENERAL ANNE TRIMMER for delegates to discuss the impact of the one psychiatrist to every million people! and policy, with greater engagement with Budget during one of the plenary sessions. members. More on this to come. Amid the serious work of the Conference, The debate on the Budget and its impacts This there was also much to celebrate, including On the last morning of the Conference there followed presentations by both Helath Minister the admission of three distinguished members was a very challenging plenary session on significant“ step Peter Dutton and Shadow Health Minister - Dr Alex Markwell, Dr Stephen Parnis, and Dr the demands of caring for those who serve Catherine King. Delegates had a plethora of forward in the Stephen Wilson - to the AMA Roll of Fellows. in combat. The military theme ran through questions to put to the speakers. governance of At the Conference dinner the rarely-awarded the Conference with Dr Brendan Nelson, now Following the official opening by outgoing AMA AMA Gold Medal was presented to Dr Mukesh Director of the Australian War Memorial, as the the AMA provides President Dr Steve Hambleton, the keynote Haikerwal for his outstanding services to the entertaining guest speaker at the Leadership the opportunity address was delivered by the United States medical profession and to the community. Dr Development Dinner. Ambassador to Australia, John Barry, who Hambleton presented the President’s Award to for more effective The Conference concluded with the election provided an entertaining overview of the US the family of Dr Bernard Quin, a Victorian doctor of the President and Vice President which processes to Government’s strategies to address global and who paid for his devotion to his patients with took place under the new Constitution.
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