The Doctors Reform Society is calling on all election candidates to commit to real reform in primary care. DRS President Dr Peter Davoren today claimed that ‘healthcare in Australia is in critical decline because of the failure of governments at Federal and State level to adequately meet the challenges of the population’.
Dr Davoren pointed out that ‘failure of the Medicare Benefits Schedule to keep pace with inflation in combination with an increasing number of older Australians, Australians with multiple co-morbid conditions and an increasing number of people with recognized mental health disorders has made the current funding model for primary care unsustainable’.
The Doctors Reform Society calls on the incoming Federal election candidates to commit to real support for primary care which might include:
i. Community Health Centres with government funded infrastructure as operate in Victoria
ii. Regional Community Controlled Organizations as operate Aboriginal health Services
iii. The provision of primary care centres with salaried general practitioners and support staff such as nurse practitioners, psychologists and other allied health practitioners.
iv. The implementation of primary health care teams (GP, nurse and allied health workers) for community aged care.
All candidates should support patient enrolment to encourage comprehensive primary care and the continued availability of telehealth for the full range of primary care management including the development of mental health plans.
Dr Peter Davoren,
