Primary care 'cost-effective': OECD

Australian Medicine, 20 July 2009

An OECD report confirming that GP-led primary care is a cost-effective way to promote good health has been welcomed by AMA Federal President Dr Andrew Pesce as a strong message to the Government on reform of primary health care in Australia.

But he also says that the report sends a warning about the need to promote general practice as a career.

The report is the latest in the OECD’s Health Data series, which provides comparable statistics on health and health systems across the OECD’s 36 member countries.

It points out that, though the balance between specialists and generalists is better in Australia than many other OECD countries, it is changing as most medical students now choose to specialise.

It also reports that specialists earn more than GPs in all OECD countries, with the gap widening since 2000 particularly in Australia, France, Finland and Hungary.

Despite the fact that generalist primary care is a cost-effective way to promote good health, the number of specialists in OECD countries has risen by 60% between 1990 and 2007, compared with only a rise of 23% for GPs.

This means, on average, two specialists for every GP.

Dr Pesce says that the clear message from this is that any plan to improve primary care must include increased support for general practice.

'The Government has made a good start through increasing the number of GP training places, but more needs to be done to continue to attract our best and brightest to general practice.'

The AMA was looking to the Government’s response to the three health reform reports it had just received as promoting and supporting the core role of general practice.