Fed: Australia risks losing obstetricians: AMA

AAP General News (Australia)
12-06-2001
Fed: Australia risks losing obstetricians: AMA

CANBERRA, Dec 6 AAP - Many obstetricians and GPs would stop delivering babies if skyrocketing
medical indemnity costs were not addressed, the Australian Medical Association (AMA) warned
today.

AMA president Kerryn Phelps said obstetricians, and in particular rural GPs performing
deliveries, would stop practising the procedure unless a national solution was found to
the problem.

And a drop in the number of obstetricians would lead to more baby deaths, she said.

Dr Phelps said medical indemnity concerns would head the list of topics up for discussion
when she met new federal Health Minister Kay Patterson within the next fortnight.

"At the moment the most urgent issue facing us is the medical indemnity crisis, which
looks like coming to a head sometime within the next three weeks with insurance premiums
going out to doctors," she said.

Dr Phelps said GPs were facing skyrocketing medical indemnity insurance premiums to
cover high-risk specialists, meaning patients visiting their local doctor were also bearing
insurance companies' price rises.

She said GPs in NSW were having to pay a levy of between 40 and 100 per cent above
their regular premiums to subsidise the higher risk specialists.

"What we need is fundamental, systematic change to medical indemnity and we'll certainly
be bringing that issue to government," Dr Phelps said.

AMA vice-president Trevor Mudge said any system for medical indemnity had to be based
on equity and affordability to ensure services would continue.

"We don't want to be in a position which we're likely to be within the next 12 months,
whereby we don't have any obstetricians," he said.

Dr Phelps said a drop in the number of obstetricians would lead to more deaths.

"If you don't have obstetricians there and then on the spot, then we are going to be
looking at higher pre-natal mortality rates," she said.

"I think we're going to see most of the GP obstetricians, the GPs who deliver babies
in rural areas, giving it up because they just don't deliver enough babies to cover the
cost of insurance."

AAP sm/daw/apm/sb

KEYWORD: INDEMNITY

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