Doctors impose bans and rolling stoppages

By Kamala Emanuel

NEWCASTLE -- Up to 2000 doctors from NSW's public hospitals walked off the job to attend stop-work meetings on November 6. The meetings were called by the Public Service Association (PSA) in response to the federal government's proposal to restrict new doctors' access to Medicare provider numbers.

The proposal will mean that about one-third of new doctors won't be allocated provider numbers, leaving their patients outside of public hospitals unable to claim a Medicare rebate or be bulk-billed. Given that there will be no corresponding increase in hospital positions, this will force a growing pool of junior doctors to compete for positions that offer no formal training and poor conditions. No doubt, some will go to rural areas, where the doctor shortage is greatest, and patients will have no choice but to pay full fees for service.

PSA meetings in Sydney, Wollongong and Newcastle, and in regional centres such as Lismore, Dubbo, Tamworth and Orange, all strongly supported motions rejecting the legislation and calling for adequate training leading to provider numbers for all current doctors and medical students.

The doctors called on the NSW Department of Health to publicly oppose the federal government's provider number proposals and resolved to continue the campaign with actions including rolling stoppages and bans to prevent the implementation of the proposals.

The Newcastle meeting passed an amended motion calling on the PSA leadership to liaise with unions representing hospital medical officers in other states with a view to coordinating the campaign nationally.

Meanwhile, Medicare bulk-billing forms are being changed in an attempt to identify "cost-shifting" -- those services rendered by GPs and paid for under Medicare that the federal government claims ought to be carried out by hospitals and paid for by the states. These services -- including pre-admission, post-discharge and outpatient-type services -- are increasingly being utilised in an attempt to integrate hospital and general practice care, and to compensate for declining hospital funding. Over $300 million has been cut from grants to states for hospitals over the next four years.

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