Sustainability in the spotlight in rural WA

The West Australian mining town of Karratha may be more than 1500 kilometres from Perth, but for RACGP Vice-President and WA Chair Dr Ramya Raman the journey was well worth the effort.
 
‘It’s incredibly valuable – as a member-based organisation, this is what we’re about,’ she told newsGP.
 
On visits to local healthcare providers, including Panaceum Karratha and Sonic HealthPlus Karratha, she discussed a range of issues from assignment of benefit changes, housing scarcity and the recent 2.6% MBS rebate increase with GPs on the ground.
 
With assignment of benefit changes due to start from 1 July, Dr Raman said several local GPs have already been in touch to raise the pressing issue in the region.
 
She highlighted how it is impacting GPs working in Aboriginal community controlled health organisations.
 
‘There are some significant red tape and barriers that these GPs are going to be facing in relation to that, which is quite a concern,’ she said.
 
The visit comes a week after a clinic in Kalbarri, another remote region of Western Australia, announced it will close its doors later this month – prompted in part by the recent Medicare indexation announcement.
 
Dr Raman found MBS funding is also a constant issue in Karratha, along with pressures on health worker accommodation.
 
‘Housing was something highlighted by most, if not all, of the GPs,’ she said.
 
‘The 2.6% rebate increase was also highlighted as inadequate in comparison to the inflation rate of over 4% for many other factors, including staff pay, consumable costs and the multiple costs incurred by the practice.
 
‘The truth of this is that there has been inadequate funding into the patient Medicare rebate to make it sustainable for practices in rural areas.’
 
During the visit, Dr Raman also presented an education session, Perimenopause & Menopause: Clinical Management and Culturally Responsible Care, as part of a partnership established last year between RACGP WA and health worker agency Rural Health West.
 
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Medicare rural general practice Western Australia