‘They were destined to be a dead end — it’s not their fault’: GP’s PHN diagnosis
The former chair of the Australian Medicare Local Alliance says PHNs need an overhaul.
Dr Arn Sprogis says that, when the ashes of Medicare Locals were reconstituted as PHNs 10 years ago, their task was clear: do what their predecessors did.
“That is, advocate for the community in which they operate and improve access to care and the way that care is delivered,” says Dr Sprogis, a retired GP and former chair of the Australian Medicare Local Alliance.
Occasionally, effort has gone to assessing PHNs and their progress towards this goal.
The Federal Government commissioned a review, published in December, which found that tensions within the PHNs’ corporate model had restricted their ability to respond to community needs.
