Call for capitation to fix ‘broken’ rural system
Ochre Health chair Dr Ross Lamplugh warns of mass practice closures without radical reforms
Medicare is broken in remote areas and should be replaced with a new system based on capitation, says the GP head of a major rural corporate.
Ochre Health chair Dr Ross Lamplugh says he has been approached by 10 small-town GPs since May, offering their practices for free if Ochre can find them a doctor.
But he has turned down all of them because “there is just no way they would be financially viable”.
The exacerbating issue is the doctor shortage. There are currently 1000 GP vacancies, including 251 in NSW alone, according to data from the country’s seven rural workforce agencies.
