Defining and Unpacking the GP Crisis

It’s getting harder to find a GP in Australia. Fewer than 1 in 6 young doctors are becoming GPs. Many GPs are abandoning bulk-billing due to rising costs and red tape. Australians are increasingly having to resort to public hospital emergency departments to deal with straightforward medical problems.

This Australian Doctors Federation Let’s Talk Medicine podcast analyses this topic that affects every Australian.

Our Chair is joined by three of Australia’s most senior and respected GPs, Professor Karen Price, Professor Mukesh Haikerwal AC and Dr Peter McInerney.

This is a fearless and far reaching discussion about the state of General Practice in Australia.

Professor Karen Price is the former President of the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners, a practice owner and co-creator of GPs Down Under.

Professor Mukesh Haikerwal AC is a former President of the AMA, former Chair of the World Medical Association and practice owner.

Dr Peter McInerney is a rural generalist and past President of Rural Doctors Association (NSW).

Highlights:

  • 1min – Introductions and backgrounds of participants
  • 12min – Defining the crisis
  • 20min – Politicians do not understand generalism
  • 22min – Medicare and underfunding
  • 24min – Underfunding of general practice
  • 27min – lack of parity with other specialties
  • 28min- contrasting emergency department visits to GP visits
  • 30min – GPs leaving the workforce
  • 33min – compliance complexities
  • 37min – the public is being short-changed by politicians
  • 41min – proxies to quality used as payments
  • 42min – fee for service
  • 46min – loss of local policy making
  • 51min – GP research is poorly funding
  • 54min – outside funders distorting doctor patient relationship
  • 1hr1min – practice accreditation
  • 1hr4min – My Medicare
  • 1hr10min – training considerations
  • 1hr12min – lack of respect for GPs
  • 1hr15min – single employer registrar model

In Part 2 we will discuss potential solutions to the GP Crisis.

The ADF acknowledges and thanks Dr Jackson Blythe for editing and producing this podcast.