A Healthy Australia Needs Healthy General Practice - Royal Australian College Of General Practitioners

Main Category: Primary Care / General Practice
Also Included In: Public Health
Article Date: 14 Oct 2008 - 1:00 PDT

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With the release of the National Preventative Health Taskforce's discussion paper Australia: The Healthiest Country By 2020 The Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP) is calling on the Australian Government to boost resources available to the sector of the health care workforce that delivers on prevention; general practice.

"We welcome the discussion paper as it backs up much of what has been reported in the international evidence; that primary care helps to prevent illness and death," said Dr Chris Mitchell, RACGP President and GP in northern New South Wales.

"The strength of a nation's primary health care system has been associated with lower mortality rates from preventable diseases and we have known this for some time.

"The evidence also shows that primary care is associated with a more equitable distribution of health, a finding that is particularly important given the poor health outcomes in some of our most disadvantaged communities, including people on low incomes and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities.

"We know the benefits of prevention, but we need the tools to deliver the care to our patients. For too long, the Australian Government's health policy has been focused on reform in the hospital sector. While we agree that significant changes in this sector are needed, this is not the main game in health. We need real, sustained investment in all primary care services including in general practice, the branch of health care that has the closest contact with the community.

"More than 80 percent of Australians see a GP each year. General practice is best placed to support our patients in making decisions to adopt healthier lifestyles by increasing exercise, adopting a healthy diet and eliminating smoking and excess alcohol consumption.

"The RACGP also applauds the willingness of the Taskforce to look at the other actions needed to have a healthy country, including exploring the role of appropriate pricing and subsidies for some products and activities, taxation reform, and the role of legislation in supporting healthy choices. We need to make sound choices in these areas, just as we need to do in health policy and funding.

"We need to look at other funding models as for too long general practice has been over stretched. In meeting Australia's health challenges we need a healthy general practice profession; a well resourced primary health care sector is strongly associated with benefits to all Australians, and to our economy.

"Well resourced general practice - with well trained GPs and allied health professionals, safe workplaces, modern equipment - can reduce the pressure on our hospitals and emergency departments through delivering high quality preventive care, health promotion and coordinated chronic disease management.

"Through additional resources for general practice and reform of the Medicare Benefits Schedule, the Australian Government can make a real and positive difference to the health of our patients. Yet, why did the government cut funding for children's vaccinations in their last budget? This approach is an example of policy approaches that do not support the government's stated commitment to prevention.

"We welcome the Australian Government's commitment to health reform, but we need the right reform that will deliver benefits to all Australians. We need a health system that places a well-resourced general practice profession at the centre of patient care," said Dr Mitchell.

The RACGP encourages all GPs to have a voice in the health reform discussion. The RACGP has outlined the role of the general practitioner and general practice in prevention in a policy statement that is available here (PDF). GPs can send their thoughts to advocacy@racgp.org.au. GPs who wish to make their own submission to the National Preventative Health Taskforce can do so at www.preventativehealth.org.au Submissions are due by 2 January 2009.

The Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP) is responsible for maintaining standards for quality clinical practice, education and training, and research in Australian general practice. The RACGP has the largest general practitioner membership of any medical organisation in Australia and represents the majority of Australia's general practitioners. Visit www.racgp.org.au