Tasmanian doctors left stranded in GP crisis with system on brink of collapse

Tasmanian doctors left stranded in the general practice crisis are pushing for more support, as they say the system is close to collapse. DETAILS >

GP Doctor John Saul talks about the ongoing crisis with the state's health system at AMA House in South Hobart. Picture: LUKE BOWDEN

Tasmanian general practitioners watching their industry collapse are battling the death of bulk billing, clinic closures and lack of young medical students moving into the profession.

Claremont GP Dr Graeme Alexander with nearly 40 years experience in general practice said state and federal governments have failed to support GPs for decades.

“This has been a train wreck for 20 years that everyone has known about, except the government still has no policy, no idea, and many of the decisions that they’re making are making the problem worse,” he said.

Dr Alexander said the problem is far worse for doctors on the ground which goes beyond falling bulk billing rates.

“Everyone is talking about the remuneration for GPs without looking at every recent decision which is about making GPs job more difficult, slower, and therefore poorer remunerated,” he said.

General practitioner Doctor Graeme Alexander. Reaction to the Health white paper released by the state government. Picture Nikki Davis-Jones

“All the difficult stuff that the hospitals can’t cope with, that pharmacists don’t want, all that stuff is now left with GPs to try and deal with in a completely dysfunctional health system.”

Dr Alexander said the push for pharmacists helping general practice is “absolute nonsense”.

“The push towards pharmacies is part of the collapse, and is continuing to make the collapse deeper,” he said.

“If someone said to you, I can do the three or four easy things you do in a day, the three or four things that bring better financial return, and I can replace them with four really difficult things that produce poor financial return. What does your job become? It becomes worse, it becomes harder and that’s what’s happening.”

General practice is an ageing workforce with many young medical students choosing to specialise in other areas.

“In a matter of a few years, the number of young people who want to be a GP has dropped from 60 per cent to 14 per cent and falling,” Dr Alexander said.

“I would shield medical students from general practice.

“We still want to teach, but they’re going to come out and see a job that’s not valued by government, is poorly funded, has become increasingly complex as each day goes past, and the best that the government can come up with is giving the easy bits to someone else so that the GPs can get more difficult complex bits.”

GP Doctor John Saul talks about the ongoing crisis with the state's health system at AMA House in South Hobart. Picture: LUKE BOWDEN

The Australian Medical Association Tasmania president Dr John Saul said the reduction of doctors not practising or having the capacity to bulk bill is one of the “saddest things” he’s seen.

“We’re seeing doctors not doing aged care, not looking after adults with intellectual disabilities, not seeing the DVA patients and Veteran Affairs patients because the Medicare and DVA rebates the government gives just aren’t enough for us to make ends meet,” he said.

“We’re getting a two tiered system where those who can afford to pay private fees are being seen but those more underprivileged people with unemployment, pensioners, elderly, they’re really struggling to see their doctor because there’s a cost barrier.