Medico Exodus Endangers Indigenous Health Centres
Sydney Morning Herald
Thursday April 25, 2002
The medical director of the nation's oldest Aboriginal Medical Service, at Redfern, yesterday warned of an impending crisis for indigenous health centres in NSW as the first of about 20 salaried doctors who will shortly be without medical malpractice insurance resigned.
``It is going to stuff up the operation of the AMSes. We don't have that many doctors anyway. We are screaming out to get doctors. It took us over 12 months to recruit the last doctor," said Dr John Daniels.
His future is also under a cloud after the US-based St Paul insurer ditches its cover from June 30 for medicos employed at the centre.
Dr Kate Burgess, 47, who has worked for the Redfern AMS for 10 years, said she had given her required two months' notice because once she lost her employer-indemnified cover through St Paul, her only malpractice insurance with United Medical Protection (UMP) was for ``good Samaritan acts".
``I did it to protect myself because in a place like this people will expect you to continue on in the clinic but you couldn't without indemnity cover for protection," she said.
Ironically, after a paid subscription with UMP for 20 years, she ditched it recently because of the fund's financial difficulties, opting instead for full cover with St Paul through the AMS. However, in December, St Paul, the world's biggest medical malpractice insurer, announced it was quitting Australia.
At news of the first of a possible avalanche of resignations, the chief executive officer of the Aboriginal Health and Medical Research Council of NSW, Ms Sandra Bailey, called on the NSW Government to act to ensure that AMS doctors had the same insurance protection as their counterparts in the public health system.
If the doctors leave, the medical clinic will have to be closed, the head of the Redfern AMS, Ms Naomi Mayers said. The centre has been operating for more than 30 years.
After two decades in public health, Dr Burgess hopes her job can be saved. But if not, because doctors are now no longer legally able to practice in NSW without insuring themselves against malpractice litigation, she will consider quitting practising altogether.
Dr Daniels, who will also be without cover in eight weeks, said the estimated 20 doctors throughout the state in a similar position were unable to get full cover from UMP, which has warned that it is on the verge of financial collapse.
He and another doctor at the Redfern AMS without whom the drug and alcohol service cannot function had not yet resigned, although under their award, they should give notice now.
`` I'm hoping, given the rather extraordinary situation which has emerged and the awareness of it that, the matter will be resolved," he said.
A spokesman for the Minister for Health, Mr Knowles, said last night that the Government would be gravely concerned if the AMSes were threatened by insurance issues and was prepared to meet their representatives urgently to resolve any problems.
© 2002 Sydney Morning Herald