Coronavirus Adelaide: ‘The help we need isn’t coming’, says GP as he chokes up on radio
Federal Health Minister Greg Hunt has responded to the anguish of an Adelaide GP who fought back tears on radio describing the pressure on doctors in the coronavirus crisis.
SA News
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An Adelaide doctor on the frontline of SA’s coronavirus effort was overcome with emotion on radio this morning, saying GPs are not getting the help they need and are being forced to do twice as much for half the pay.
Former AMA SA president Dr Rod Pearce AM choked back tears in a call to ABC Radio Adelaide on Thursday morning as he described the burden on GPs at the coalface of a surge in demand for medical services.
“Yeah, umm it’s pretty tough out there,” Dr Pearce said, choking back tears.
“Some of the changes we’ve appreciated, we’ve appreciated being able to talk to the (Health) Minister but it’s getting bogged down again in bureaucracy; the help we need isn’t coming.”
Dr Pearce said GPs were being made to consult sick patients in their homes via Telehealth but had to do so at about half the rate they could normally charge patients in their private practices.
“This is not just about the dollars, it’s doubling the problem by halving our income but we’re doing twice as much and the resources need to be spread further.”
A doctor who might normally charge a patient $80 could expect half that via Telehealth.
“We can’t actually charge on top of it because if we charge any money we then invalidate the rebate from the government from Telehealth. It’s actually half pay.
“So twice as much is having to be done because the receptionists, the nurses – we’re asking them to help us with the swabbing, all the normal services, and we’ve been half resourced.
“So actually general practice has lost almost half its money essentially at a time when we need support. You know we’re working 15, 18 hours a day.”
The pressure was also being felt in the regions as doctors struggled to absorb the added pressure on the system.
“In the country, when we get doctors isolated, how do we actually look after our hospitals? We’re having to do telehealth, so that means we can’t physically go in because we’ve if got doctors isolated – it’s huge.
“We appreciate that it’s bigger all around and the community’s gotta respond but it’s difficult and we’re just asking for an understanding that the frontline, everything that everyone else’s got, it’s magnified at the frontline with twice as many people and less support.”
He reiterated his concerns in an interview with The Advertiser and said had to buy a face mask from Bunnings becaue of a coronavirus-led shortage of protective equipment.
“We have been to Bunnings and bought equipment (face masks) and colleagues have sent me pictures of makeshift masks,” Dr Pearce, who manages a medical practice of more than 20 doctors, said.
He said it was “not possible to run a private practice on bulk-billing”.
AMA SA president Dr Chris Moy said doctors had been fighting for Telehealth and that it was designed to protect patients, doctors and nurses “to the greatest degree”.
He said the AMA would prefer doctors to charge more but that it was thankful Telehealth was in place. “This has given a lifeline; otherwise doctors’ practices would have closed,” he said.
SA Health Minister Stephen Wade said while primary health care was a Federal responsibility the government appreciated GPs were “key partners in this response.”
“That’s why as Rod hinted at we’ve appointed a GP liaison officer, a GP,” Mr Wade said.
“That’s why we’ve brought them into the command centre so they can help co-ordinate the response.
“In terms of the issues in relation to Telehealth, the AMA and other medical groups have been calling for Telehealth to receive Medicare rebates for years and it was only made generally available at the beginning of this week, it’s not surprising there are teething problems”.
Federal Health Minister Greg Hunt said he understood the stress medical professionals are facing and that he was “deeply concerned” by Dr Pearce’s anguisn.
He the government was taking “enormous and very rapid steps” to fight COVID-19 and protect the health and welfare of Australians.
“A key part of that is supporting all aspects of our healthcare system - now and in the months ahead,” he said. “We have provided over three million masks to GPs through the PHN (Primary Health Networks) and have guaranteed a further five million over the coming 12 weeks.”
He said Dr Pearce, GPs and nurses were the “real heroes” in the crisis.