GP spends $8000 on survey to see whether patients value their doctors
Dr Hamish Meldrum says his survey showing patients value GPs could provide ‘ammunition’ to fight for a greater share of health expenditure.
When data emerged showing general practice’s small slice of the health funding pie, Dr Hamish Meldrum decided to commission a survey to see what patients thought of the profession.
A Roy Morgan poll and $8000 later Dr Meldrum is satisfied Aussies respect their GPs, but they have no idea how little of the health spending they receive for the care they provide.
It was September 2021, and GPs’ self-esteem had taken a battering, Dr Meldrum told the WONCA World Conference in Sydney.
The pandemic was still running, patient rebates were fixed at half that of non-GP specialists, and only one in seven medical students were making the specialty their first choice career option.
