THE government’s general practitioner (GP) $7 tax has again come under fire by Labor MPs for its potential to crush NSW emergency departments
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A report by the NSW government revealed an estimated 27 per cent increase of patients attending local emergency departments (ED).
A briefing paper analysis on the co-payment was prepared in May this year, which has since been obtained by the Labor party.
In 2013, there were 142,595 presentations to EDs across the Illawarra, Southern Highlands and Shoalhaven and member for Throsby Stephen Jones said this could increase by almost 40,000 a year.
“This is information that has come from the government's own modelling,” Mr Jones said.
“What will happen is people who would normally see a GP will now head to ED, particularly in regional and rural areas where patients have shown more likely to attend ED that in cities.
“It will place local hospitals like Wollongong and Shellharbour in an impossible situation.”
Health Minister Jillian Skinner said the report was preliminary and based on “rudimentary scenarios” relating to potential impacts on hospital ED.
“The Federal Parliament has not passed any legislation relating to a GP co-payment,” she said.
“The NSW Ministry of Health has undertaken no detailed modelling on potential impacts since the federal budget, handed down in May and I have not commissioned any modelling.”
Ms Skinner labelled Labor’s backlash on GP co-payments as a “scare campaign” putting politics before patients.
The co-payment is among a number of budget measures held up in the Senate due to a lack of support from Labor, the Greens and the Palmer United Party.
Member for Shellharbour Anna Watson said the local health departments were already “swamped”.
“For the average family with 2-3 kids, who would regularly visit the doctors, this tax means they would already pay $21 and that doesn’t include things like pathology, x-rays and other tests,” she said.
“We don’t need another tax, what we need is the $250 million upgrade.”
Mr Jones said that an increase in patients would mean Shellharbour Hospital would struggle to meet National Emergency Access Targets, of discharging 90 per cent of ED patients within four hours, which puts commonwealth funding at risk.
