From groceries to petrol, soaring prices have been the new normal for weeks now, but the only scheme not keeping up with inflation is Medicare, says a Bellambi GP.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Dr Muhammed Amir Vakil set up Pioneer Health Centre as a bulk billing practice in 2020. Now, two years later, he says introducing private billing (and therefore dropping bulk-billing) is the only way his practice can stay afloat.
"Staff wages have gone up, prices of consumables have gone up, insurance rates have gone up but all Medicare has given us is an additional 65 cents."
Dr Vakil says there is a limit to the number of patients GPs can see in a day, exceeding that number risks a GP getting flagged by Medicare as not providing "appropriate quality of care".
"If I cannot increase the number of patients I see daily then I cannot earn an income sustainable enough to maintain the rising costs of the practice."
During the COVID-19 outbreaks, the practice hired more staff to manage the increased demand, and with that came more expenses, plus the additional costs related to extra sanitisation, PPE kits and masks.
However, the stagnant Medicare rebate is why patients are having to pay more.
"The doctor has a right to ask for a charge for his service. If Medicare only covers a certain portion of it then patients need to question Medicare for not keeping up with the inflation rate," Dr Vakil said.
Practice manager, Janni Murray, says Dr Vakil endeavours to look after his patients to the best of his ability and despite the introduction of an out of pocket charge, he considers people with financial difficulty.
Mrs Murray says most patients are happy to pay because the practice uses a payment system which offers them instant Medicare rebate.
"When patients find out that they will not have to deal with Medicare paperwork and will get their rebate with a tap, they do not mind it."
Haywards Bay resident, Amanda Shepherd, has been a patient of Dr Vakil's for years and this is the first time she has paid for a consultation.
"I can go to those huge bulk billing medical centres if I want but I will just be a number there, I will not get the personalised service I get from Dr Vakil."
Mrs Shepherd does not mind a few extra dollars to continue seeing a health professional who knows all her medical history.
"I also understand the perspective of patients who cannot afford to pay, I sympathise with both sides," she said.
- We've made it a whole lot easier for you to have your say. Our new comment platform requires only one log-in to access articles and to join the discussion on the Illawarra Mercury website. Find out how to register so you can enjoy civil, friendly and engaging discussions. Sign up for a subscription here.
