TASMANIAN doctors and nurses have spoken against the federal budget with a warning the state will suffer.
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Health Minister Sussan Ley’s decision to freeze the Medicare rebate for a further two years has drawn the ire of the Australian Medical Association and the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners.
RACGP councillor Bastian Seidel said bulk-billing would be unsustainable by 2020 as the cost of providing medical services would continue to rise while the amount given to GPs would not. He said research showed people on lower incomes may eschew doctor visits as a result.
AMA state president Tim Greenaway echoed Dr Seidel’s concerns but acknowledged the $2.9 billion hospitals funding promised during the latest Council of Australian Governments meeting.
“Of course, this is partly redressing the cuts announced in the 2014 Abbott-Hockey budget,” he said.
The Australian Nursing and Midwifery Association said the budget was “dismally below sufficient requirements to maintain and sustain our public health sector”.
“There is no new money to fund many of the Commonwealth services ... and palliative care services, Emergency Medical Unit beds, primary health services, elective surgery and rehabilitation services like John L Grove are all at risk,” state secretary Neroli Ellis said.
Tuesday’s budget included a $50 million regional health package for the Royal Hobart Hospital redevelopment and funding for the John L Grove rehabilitation centre, clinical redesign and elective surgeries.
