Contrasted with these two Divisions is the appalling neglect by the Macarthur and Southern Highlands Divisions in bringing together a collaborative partnership with local health and welfare service providers, along with the local community to produce a constructive Medicare Local which does not just simply massage the egos of a pair of CEOs.
ACT doctors apply for Medicare Locals
Updated
Canberra-based doctors and health organisations have made a joint application for Medical Locals funding from the Federal Government.
ACT Doctors have applied to establish a Medicare Locals (ML) group under the Federal Government's health reform program.
The ACT Division of General Practice submitted the paperwork on 5 April 2011, the closing date for applications.
The Federal Government has allocated a total of $477 million over four years to establish the national Medicare Locals network to replace the existing divisions of general practice.
The first group of Medicare Locals is expected to begin from 1 July.
The ACT's division President Dr Rashmi Sharma says Canberra-based organisations such as pharmacists, chronic disease support groups and the ANU Medical School have backed the application.
"The concept behind Medicare Local is basically that we work at a more local level," Dr Sharma said.
"All of the groups that are listed are people who provide care within the primary healthcare space, before you get to the hospital. So looking at the preventative side of things."
Dr Sharma says the idea is to boost preventative care messages and reduce the number of people needing to go to hospital.
"What Medicare Locals aim to do is actually to bring in the rest of the workforce within Primary Healthcare. So basically we are talking about your pharmacists, podiatrists, physiotherapists, nursing staff, consumer groups and mental health and actually packaging it all together. So we avoid these silos of care, which we all know about and we have all experienced."
