2020 Summit - Where To From Here? - Australian Medical Association

Main Category: Public Health
Article Date: 22 Apr 2008 - 3:00 PDT

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The Australian Medical Association has welcomed the creative response to national health issues in the 2020 Summit and looks forward to pushing a clinically-driven agenda for health reform centred on the needs of patients.

AMA President, Dr Rosanna Capolingua, said that Australia has a good health system and we need to build on the things that already work well.

"We need to remember that at the end of the day, patients need to see a doctor and get a proper medical diagnosis. Reforms must not undermine this principle," she said.

The peak medical body was pleased that the Prime Minister will look at Commonwealth/state relationships and would like to see the following outcomes for the health arena:

The elimination of waste and duplication in the health system where it is identified and exists; Streamlined funding to accelerate access to essential services;
More resources directed at patients - with less to bureaucracy;
Effective delivery of services through improved cooperation between the Commonwealth and the states and territories; and
More government responsibility rather than buck-passing.

Some positive outcomes from the Summit include calls to increase taxes on tobacco and alcohol, better access to fresh fruit for school children, better coordination of research for clinical and commercial benefits, and the introduction of a national preventative health agency.

The AMA has been lobbying for easy access to good food and increased taxes on tobacco and alcohol for some time.

In terms of immediate progress, the AMA would like to see more effort put into indigenous health, better support for GP-led teams to work on health prevention and to manage chronic disease, and increased funding to develop medical workforce training.

"We have high-quality doctors that are the envy of the rest of the world. We need to maintain these standards and devote more planning and resources to training the next generation of medicos," Dr Capolingua said.

For some time, the AMA has been pushing the need for more support for primary care by increasing GP training numbers, encouraging team-based care, which would be coordinated by the patient's doctor. The AMA also wants the Medicare Benefits Schedule to be reviewed so that it rewards quality medicine and supports GP teams to tackle chronic disease.

Dr Capolingua also commented on the announcement of a Health Equality Commission for all Australians with a focus on indigenous health and disadvantaged people.

"The AMA has consistently been calling for a no-stops effort to close the gap on indigenous health. A Health Equality Commission must have this as a benchmark and to be held to account by 2020," she said.

Dr Capolingua was also pleased that the Health Summit did not embrace any suggestion that would reduce patient choice and ration funding for health needs.

"The current 'fee for service' system gives people more choice and control over their health and should remain the foundation for medical practice into the future.

"It's the best way to keep a focus on the patient and to make the doctor accountable," she said.

Australian Medical Association