MEDICARE has been flagged for the most significant review since its inception, opening up further primary care delivery to pharmacists and nurses, with Prime Minister Anthony Albanese this morning taking to the airwaves to urge major changes.
Appearing on Channel 7's Sunrise program, Albanese (pictured) said the Government had inherited a Medicare system which was "struggling to keep up".
Albanese said too many people were turning up to emergency departments because they couldn't get access to a GP.
"What we know we need to do is fix primary healthcare.
"The big thing we are looking at is how do you take pressure off the system, and we are doing that - talking to the AMA, talking to the Royal Australian College of GPs, talking with experts because we want to make sure that this Medicare task force is listened to," Albanese said.
Minister for Health and Aged Care Mark Butler told The Australian the system was in "real trouble, stuck in the 1980s and 1990s, and no longer made sense.
"We need doctors working hand in glove with practice nurses, allied health professionals, and pharmacists," Butler said.
Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek, who was Health Minister under the Rudd and Gillard Labor Governments, added her voice to the discussion, claiming the Coalition had "neglected Medicare for 10 years".
There are suggestions the new funding model, which is yet to be finalised, would allow allied health practitioners working in teams to deliver complex care and receive Medicare payments in the same way as GPs, with several options believed to be under discussion.
The above article was sent to subscribers in Pharmacy Daily's issue from 23 Jan 23
To see the full newsletter, see the embedded issue below or CLICK HERE to download Pharmacy Daily from 23 Jan 23
