The fact Canberra has the lowest rate of bulk-billing general practitioners out of Australia's capital cities would come as no surprise to locals in the territory.
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Anybody living in this city who has attempted to look for a bulk-billing clinic knows it is incredibly difficult and if you are lucky to find a doctor, the waiting lists are huge.
Doctors say the lack of options mean people delay seeking help and it means their health deteriorates, consequently, they can end up in the emergency department.
Canberra's emergency departments consistently have the worst waiting times in the nation. They cannot sustain more people.
Chief Minister Andrew Barr says while there are local issues health systems are struggling across the nation.
"There are a range of issues, mostly they are national. That's not to say there aren't local variances and things that can be improved," he said in an interview with The Canberra Times.
Mr Barr's attempt to gloss over the "local variances" is completely disingenuous.
Yes, he is right there are issues with health systems around the country but Canberra's "local variances" should not be underplayed and need targeted, local solutions.
While national solutions like greater hospital funding and primary health care reforms will help, it is simply not enough for the nation's capital.
The ACT government needs to come to the table and lead this conversation.
At every opportunity possible, Mr Barr and ACT Health Minister Rachel Stephen-Smith need to push for greater Medicare rebates for Canberra's general practitioners.
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Our city's general practitioner per capita rate is more like a rural or regional centre than an urban area. Therefore, doctors should be able to claim greater incentives for bulk billing like they could before changes came into place three years ago.
But Mr Barr and Ms Stephen-Smith also need to implement more solutions from an ACT government level. It's simply not enough to wait for the federal government to reform the primary health care system.
Canberra's emergency departments are in crisis and have been since long before the COVID pandemic. The ACT government needs to do everything in its power to turn this around.
Planning is under way for a new northside hospital. The ACT government should accelerate this process. This project cannot be delayed. The health system cannot afford it.
More needs to be done to attract specialists and health care staff but there also needs to be a concerted effort to retain health care staff.
If the ACT government shirks its responsibility for "local variances", Canberrans have a right to feel let down.
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