Health Minister accuses the AMA of being protectionist

Relations between the Federal Health Minister Nicola Roxon and the Australian Medical Association (AMA) do not appear to be improving.

In a speech to the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW) conference, the minister said the National Primary Health Care Strategy, will give nurses and other healthcare professionals a greater role to play in order to deal with a shortage of doctors.

Recent figures have shown there was a 9% decline in the availability of GPs in Australia since 1997 but a 15% increase in rural areas.

AMA president Rosanna Capolingua maintains doctors are the best people to provide such care and has condemned Labor's primary care policy and its proposed GP super-clinics.

Ms Roxon says younger doctors and females doctors entering the profession want more flexible and often shorter working hours and this is trend is unlikely to disappear.

The minister says the increase in chronic diseases and the demands of an ageing population continue and this confirms her belief that how primary care is delivered in Australia must be re-examined.

Ms Roxon says Australia needs to deliver better services to the community and make it more attractive for graduates to choose frontline care as a career path and the medical profession must be prepared to move beyond old debates.

Ms Roxon seized on Dr Capolingua's comment that GPs were the most effective gatekeepers in primary health care and questioned why, when many find accessing a local doctor difficult, there was a need for gatekeepers.

The Health Minister says GPs need help in facilitating access to health care, rather than keeping people out and the phrase 'gatekeeper' is a loaded one and belongs to an old debate.

Ms Roxon has suggested the AMA is guilty of being predictable and protectionist.

Primary health care is delivered at a community level and is not only concerned with resolving illness and disease but also in the prevention of illness and the promotion of healthy lifestyles.

The better the quality of the primary health care, the fewer the number people admitted to hospital and this benefits hospitals in terms of how money is spent as well patients.

Australian nurses are well trained and able to offer a wide range of primary health care services and have welcomed the Government plans to extend their role.

The Australian Nurses Federation (ANF) recognises the vital role of doctors has does not seek to replace them but believes the best way to deliver health care is in a team where the right health professional delivers the most appropriate care.

The ANF says advanced registered nurses and nurse practitioners are experienced professionals and can provide expanded services.