Premiers and chief ministers will enter a pivotal national cabinet meeting today demanding Australia's health system receive more federal funding, amid warnings the "broken" sector is heaving under strain and needs urgent repair.
The nation's leaders will gather in Canberra today, as they try to thrash out solutions to widespread problems including GP shortages, rising out-of-pocket fees, lengthy waiting lists and overburdened public hospitals.
During the meeting, the states and territories will also be presented with a long-awaited report from a task force aimed at improving Medicare, as Health Minister Mark Butler warns it is in "the worst shape it's been in its 40-year history".
The report will guide how the government plans to spend its $750 million election promise to overhaul Medicare, and canvasses changes to funding models, as well as how to better utilise teams of health practitioners in primary care.
Australian Medical Association (AMA) vice president Danielle McMullen, who is on the task force, said it was crucial urgent action was taken.
"It's now time to hold the government to account and get them to invest appropriately in the care that Australians deserve," Dr McMullen said.
"The health system is under more pressure than ever before. People are facing longer waits to see doctors. People are facing long waits at emergency departments and they're facing higher out of pocket costs, while the cost of running medical practices and providing quality care has increased along with the cost of living for many years."
South Australian Premier Peter Malinauskas said he hoped the task force report would provide tangible actions for change.
"My state government is throwing all the resources we have at our public hospital system to adjust the ramping challenges, but we can't do it alone," he said.
"At a Commonwealth level, we need them to address the GP crisis because people are getting sicker waiting for a GP, which means they end up in an emergency department when it's all too late. So we do need action from the Commonwealth."
New figures this week revealed the number of Australians who delayed or avoided seeing their GP because they could not afford it soared by almost 50 per cent in the past year.
Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews said his top priority for the meeting was fixing the nation's primary health care system.
"Medicare is not what it was designed to be. It is a pale, pale imitation, a mere shadow," he said.
"It's never been harder to find a bulk-billing doctor, particularly after hours, than it is now.
"We've got to pay our GPs more, we've got to recognise we are not rewarding them properly for doing their work."
Some leaders are also heading into the meeting with their own ideas about improvements that need to be made, with NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet petitioning for changes that would allow pharmacies to offer aspects of primary care currently restricted to doctors.
Spruiked by pharmacists and loathed by GPs, the proposal is already being trialled in New South Wales, and gives pharmacists the power to prescribe some medications like antibiotics and contraception.
"It means greater capacity in our GP [clinics], we need a greater structure where in every community across our country you can get access to a GP where and when you need one," he said.
"What does that mean? That means we will have less presentations in the public health system.
"I think it's important we look at new ways of thinking that don't start with the dollar figures and start with best policy possible."
Renewed plea from premiers for more funding
The leaders will also use today's meeting to press Prime Minister Anthony Albanese for more federal funding for public hospitals.
The ongoing tug-of-war between the nation's leaders over the cost of public hospital services has escalated during the coronavirus crisis, on the back of an influx of demand, rising inflation, a backlog of elective surgeries and workforce shortages.
A multi-billion dollar 50:50 funding deal was agreed to at the height of the pandemic, but expired at the end of last year.
Unsurprisingly, all the states and territories want that deal to be continued, however, there has been no suggestion from the Commonwealth it is willing to meet that demand, as it operates within the confines of a budget under enormous strain.
Dr McMullen warned not investing more money would also be costly.
"Spending on health should be seen as an investment and not a cost," she said.
"The best way to keep Australians productive and at work and contributing to society is making sure that they have access to high quality medical care.
"We need to make sure that government sees this spending on health really is an investment in the future of our country."
