14 May 2009.
AMA Victoria has welcomed Federal Health Minister Nicola Roxon’s assurance that country Victorian GP clinics will not be worse off under a new rural classification system which determines funding for services and grants for doctors to work and stay in country Victoria.
This week’s Federal Budget announced the existing Rural Remote Metropolitan Area (RRMA) system would be phased out and replaced with the new remoteness classification, ASGC-RA, and supported with $134 million of extra funding.
Dr Doug Travis, President of AMA Victoria, said detail was lacking but so far the changes were positive. “Minister Roxon has listened to our calls to ensure that no country Victorian GP or community will be worse off under a new classification system,” he said.
“Rural and regional GPs depend on rurality-based grants to run their practices.” Dr Travis said. “This includes funding to expand services, such as employing overseas trained doctors and practice nurses, plus support for junior doctor training and recruitment schemes to attract doctors to the area.
“The threat of country Victorian GPs losing funding for integral services they provide in their community was worrying. If a practice’s rural classification was removed, and funding disappeared, services would be limited and doctors could be driven out of rural areas.”
The Federal Government will implement a grandparenting arrangement to ensure that existing practices do not lose their current subsidies. If an existing practice is eligible for a lower subsidy than they currently get, they too will be grandparented.
“I’m pleased the new classification system will result in more areas being eligible for medical rural and retention allowances to attract doctors to country areas and provide incentives for them to stay.”
Part of the $134 million of extra Federal Government funding will be set aside for a new national locum scheme.
“Many country Victorian GPs work long hours, are constantly on-call, and find it difficult to take time off for a break,” Dr Travis said. “A national locum scheme will mean rural GPs can take much-needed time off while their community is served by a locum doctor.
“I’m glad the Federal Budget acknowledged the severe doctor shortages in rural and regional areas and signalled a commitment to ease this shortage.”
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For more information on the new classification system visit: http://www.doctorconnect.gov.au/internet/otd/Publishing.nsf/Content/RA-intro