The Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP) welcomes the Federal Opposition and other political parties’ strong contraposition to changes to Medicare rebates and pledge to overturn the regulation in the Senate next month.
The political focus and opposition to proposed general practice changes in funding has gained widespread support from the general practice and patient communities who have united under the RACGP-led awareness campaign ‘You’ve been targeted’.
RACGP President Dr Frank Jones said while the Federal Opposition’s announcement is certainly encouraging, it is by no means grounds for complacency.
“Providing all parties make good on their word, there is hope for the future of general practice, but as we know things can change very quickly so must all be ready to hold decision-makers to account,” said Dr Jones
“There is still time for the government to recognise that the proposed changes are inappropriate and rescind their plans, initiating a meaningful discussion both patients and the profession instead.
The RACGP has repeatedly advocated the government to work alongside the profession to negotiate a plan that protects patient services and supports general practice as the cornerstone of an efficient, world class healthcare system.
In the wake of December’s shock revised co-payment announcement, the RACGP initiated debate and formal feedback from GPs and their communities.
“As part of the RACGP’s ‘You’ve been targeted’ campaign, an online petition was established with change.org, gaining a staggering 40,000+ signatures from GPs and patients in less than a week,” said Dr Jones
“Thousands of GPs and patients have also accessed campaign resources from the RACGP website including posters to display in waiting rooms, hard copy petitions and letters of protest, sending a strong message that general practice is worth fighting for.
“We hope the government will take this opportunity to abandon the proposed changes to patient rebates and use this time to discuss plans for a sustainable future general practice.
“We have suggested a moratorium and suggested an expert GP committee to advise government in future.”
The RACGP will continue to lead advocacy efforts and represent the interests of all GPs and their patients.