‘One in six’ doctors quit

ONE in six doctors of working age no longer practise, the Australian Medical Association told a Senate inquiry yesterday.

ONE in six doctors of working age no longer practise, the Australian Medical Association told a Senate inquiry yesterday.Health experts also told the committee the bulk-billing rate probably would continue to fall even if the Senate passed the Government’s Medicare package, which offers incentive payments for GPs who agree to bulk-bill pensioners and concession card holders.AMA representative Robert Bain told the inquiry that red tape and the fall in the real value of the Medicare rebate were responsible for the declining participation rate of doctors.Dr Bain said doctors’ morale was lowest in outer-suburban areas, not country towns.He said doctors were swamped by patients in many outer-suburban practices and sometimes shut their waiting room doors at noon.The main complaint of outer suburbs patients was the difficulty in finding a GP in an emergency rather than the lack of doctors who bulk-billed, he said.It was difficult for doctors in these areas to stop bulk-billing poorer patients and many found it easier to shift their practices.A spokesman for the WA branch of the AMA said there had not been any research on how many WA doctors had prematurely left the profession.Dr Bain said the fall in the value of the Medicare rebate – the money the Government gives GPs for a standard bulk-billed consultation – was the main reason doctors were leaving the profession.It also explained the long-term fall in the number of doctors who bulk-billed.Australian Consumers’ Association health policy officer Martyn Goddard said there was a long-term trend away from bulk-billing, which had dropped to 69 per cent of GP consultations – the lowest level for 12 years.He said bulk-billing doctors were reaching a stage where it was no longer viable and the Government measures would not change their minds.Professor John Deeble, an architect of the original Medicare scheme, said he believed the Government’s Medicare changes would see doctor fees rise because patients would not have to pay as much up-front if doctors chose to charge above the Medicare rebate.Health Minister Kay Patterson has denied this, saying the package will be more convenient for patients and will make it easier for doctors to bulk-bill needy patients.The Federal Government has announced it will increase the number of medical school places from next year.WA has one of the lower rates of doctors per capita in Australia and many country towns rely on overseas-trained doctors.The inquiry was set up after an Australian Democrats’ call. It will report in September. (Source: The West Australian, By Ben Ruse, 22 July 2003)