It is fantastic that the Abbott government has decided to consult doctors on the viability of Medicare in the future, however more needs to be done. The changes to Medicare may save them money in the short term, but they are cutting off their nose to spite their face in regards to future GPs. As a post-graduate medical student, I am not considering becoming a GP, and neither are the majority of students in my cohort.
Post-graduate means that I will have spent a minimum of seven years at university studying, accruing a HECS debt of, on average, of $100,000, depending on the undergraduate degree.
A recent study published in the Medical Journal of Australia has shown that full fee paying medical students that have no government assistance in paying for their medical degree (around $250,000) are more likely to eschew general practice and going rural, in favour of high paying specialties in major cities.
What happens when the government deregulates medical fees and all students are paying more money for their degrees?
Australia already has a GP shortage in rural areas, as well as many areas within our major cities. It is madness for the current government to target patients visiting GPs in cost cutting measures. GPs are integral in saving the government money via primary and secondary prevention. Consulting medical professionals and future GPs is important to determine where the efficiencies and improvements can be identified within Medicare.
We need to increase the incentive for medical students to become GPs, rather than taking the incentive away, as the proposed Medicare changes will do.
Considering the push for all Australian medical degrees to become post-graduate, for fees to be deregulated, as well as the current government policies changing the face of general practice, it is unsurprising that many medical students do not see a career in general practice in their future.
Jazmin Hawes, Braddon