Saturday, May 31, 2008

Conversation: National Health.


ANU Marketing and Communications have an interesting conversation on Health withAssociate Professor Kirsty Douglas (Acting Director of the Australian Primary Health Care Research Institute and an educator in general practice at the ANU Medical School) and Professor Bob Wells (Director of the Menzies Centre for Health Policy and Executive Director of the ANU College of Medicine and Health Sciences.)

You can read the conversation
HERE.

NHHRC submission.


You can read our own submission to the National Health and Hospitals Reform Commission on the GP workforce crisis HERE.

NHHRC submission from an IMG.

An international medical graduate (IMG), or overseas-trained doctor (OTD) in old non-PC speak, has made a submission to the National Health and Hospitals Reform Commission. She has generously allowed us to post the story of her own perspective on the GP workforce shortage.
Take note of the bureaucratic red-tape that has caused her to suffer a period even longer than the obligatory ten years before she has access to an unrestricted provider number.

You can download and read it at NHHRCIMGsubmission.pdf

P.S. If you have not yet signed our e-Petition, please consider doing so. It can be found HERE.

Thursday, May 29, 2008

Mr. Rudd's Response.

We have received a response from Mr. Rudd in relation to our meeting with him at his mobile office on May 10. We discussed with him our suggestions for improving the GP workforce issue (see the link in the sidebar to the Solutions Discussion).

He says:

"As discussed, my staff have submitted a representation on your behalf to Rod Glover, Senior Advisor in the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet, to investigate your proposal in detail with a view to national methodology. I have requested he obtain input from the Department of Health and Ageing regarding measurements of GP's and non-specialists across metropolitan areas throughout Australia."

Thankyou, Mr. Rudd.


Tuesday, May 27, 2008

Australian Doctor article.

The weekly Australian Doctor paper ran a column on our campaign, on page 12 of the May 23 edition.

When time allows, it will be typed out!

Monday, May 26, 2008

e-Petition.

If you want to fight the fight, please consider signing the e-petition at
http://www.parliament.qld.gov.au/view/EPetitions%5FQLD/CurrentEPetition.aspx?PetNum=1058&lIndex=-1

Please send the link to anyone you think may be interested.

The wording:

Queensland Residents draws to the attention of the House: The imminent national crisis in the GP workforce as exemplified by the widely publicised situation at the Logan Road General Practice in the federal electorate of Griffith.

Your petitioners, therefore, request the House to: petition the federal government to address the issue by:
temporarily suspending the District of Workforce Shortage (DWS) designation (say for 6 months) to allow the employment of International Medical Graduates (IMGs( in inner metropolitan areas;
reducing to 3 years the period after which an IMG has access to an unrestricted provider number;
giving exemption from the provider number legislation to IMGs who have proven commitments (eg. family) that preclude them leaving a metropolitan area;
identifying and supporting Australian trained GPs who have left the workforce, to return (eg. offer up skilling, financial incentives).

Sunday, May 11, 2008

Meeting Mr Rudd.


Two of us (Barbara and Janet) met with Kevin Rudd at his open-air "street office" in West End, Brisbane yesterday. We were delighted with the meeting. We had Mr. Rudd's undivided attention for nearly 25 minutes. He listened to our story, he asked a lot of good questions, and he was clearly aware of the issue in both its local and national aspects. What was particularly gratifying was that he specifically read and responded to each of our suggestions [see the Solutions debate, link in the sidebar]. He did not simply make bland reassuring noises [as we expected], but has undertaken to respond to us on some very specific points.

We are optimistic that our concerns and our suggestions will be considered.

Thankyou, Mr. Rudd.

In the meanwhile, we are not going away, and the campaign is not closed.

Friday, May 9, 2008

Mr. Rudd's Office.

As we said in the previous post, we may have been quiet on the blog, but we have not been quiet elsewhere.

Barbara Reynolds-Hutchinson outside our local members office, petitions in hand.


And here are a few more pictures, just to show you our human face.

Our little community practice:


[Of course, if medicine in the community is not your thing, you will be able to visit the nearest Super Clinic instead - a mere $46 cab ride or minimum of two buses away.]

One of our friendly receptionists:



Our friendly neighbourhood pharmacist:


The Case of the Vanishing GP.

This blog may have been quiet lately - but we have not. Regardless of the total lack of serious response from government (we do not count 'form' letters, of which we have quite a number), we will pursue our attempts to find a solution for the Vanishing GP.

You can now read Barbara Reynolds-Hutchinson's Online Opinion article on this topic via this link HERE.