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  • Health reforms a "con"

    07/10/10

    Australia’s new GP of the Year has exposed another part of the Rudd-Gillard Government’s so-called health reforms for what they are – in his view a “con”.

    Shadow Minister for Health Peter Dutton said today Dr Patrick Byrnes scathing criticisms of Nicola Roxon’s plan to abolish Medicare rebates for treatments by practice nurses was the latest rebuff of Labor’s health policies from the medical fraternity.

    Dr Byrnes was reported by The Australian as telling a medical conference Health Minister Roxon was presiding over “bureaucratic stupidity” and her plan to unwind the practice nurse measures introduced by Tony Abbott and the previous Coalition Government was a “billion dollar gamble”.

    Newly named as GP of the Year, Dr Byrnes said the current system was proven to work, but Labor’s decision to dismantle it and replace the Medicare payments for practice nurses with a $25,000 payment to doctors to employ the nurses would be nowhere near as effective.

    “Yet again, it’s proof that Labor’s so-called health reforms are ill-considered and likely to be to the detriment of our healthcare system,” Mr Dutton said.

    Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Primary Healthcare Dr Andrew Southcott said the change was just another Labor Lemon.

    Dr Southcott said the change was a cost-cutting measure that would exacerbate pressure on already overworked and understaffed GPs.

    “The current system helps address the national doctor shortage and the mammoth workload of GPs.”

    “But yet again we are seeing Nicola Roxon and Julia Gillard trying to re-invent the wheel and in so doing they’re heading for a crash.”

    Mr Dutton said Labor’s so-called health reforms were continuing to unravel, but the Gillard Government’s determination to press ahead with its ideological changes left them blind to that reality.

    Dr Southcott called on the Health Minister to release the advice which supported moving away from the current proven model for practice nurses.
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