On the other hand, the Southern Highlands Division of General Practice has been remarkably silent about the transition, appearing now as they do as a "branch" of the Macarthur Division of General Practice which, effectively, now extends from Fairfield through to the Southern Highlands.
There have been no announcements on the Southern Highlands Division's website about the proposed liaison with the Macarthur Division. One wonders whether the Southern Highland's 63 or so GPs have had any say in the matter of where they want to be lodged and how they want to be represented on the Board of the Macarthur Division of General Practice.
The normally vocal Chief Executive and the Board Chairman of the Southern Highlands Division have been remarkably coy about what they are planning. Perhaps, it has become secret Board business. The Division's "Highland Doctor" has not been published (publicly) since July 2010 so either the area's GPs are being kept in the dark, along with rest of us, or they have felt the local Division has been so ineffective that they don't care about what happens to it.
Obviously, those GPs in the far north of the new Medicare Local do care and this is what they have to say:
GPs reject giant health bureaucracy in South West Sydney
by the South West Sydney Health Coalition - 05/11/2010
A report, prepared by Cranny and Associates proposes a giant bureaucracy in south west Sydney, ranging from Bowral to Bankstown.
Under proposed changes, family doctors influence over local issues would be silenced, putting at risk the promised benefits of government reforms to family medicine.
On the evening of November 4, over 150 GPs, health,and community leaders met at the Bankstown Sports Club to launch the South West Sydney Health Coalition, to call on the government to reject the proposal for a single giant health bureaucracy.
Mr Alan Ashton MP and Mr Tony Stewart MP attended the launch.
Community leaders included Dr. Ken Cho, from the Fairfield Liverpool Association of Medical Practitioners, Dr. Vinh Bin Lieu of the Vietnamese Australian Medical Association, Mr. Harry Allie, of the ATSI Advisory Committee Bankstown City Council, Mr. Si Banks of the Pharmacy Guild, Ms. Randa Kattan of the Arab Council of Australia, Dr.N.C.Patel of the Australian Indian Medical Graduates Association, Ms. Gunjan Tripathi from the Cancer Council, as well as the CEO of the Macarthur Division of General Practice, Mr. Rene Pennock.
At the launch, Dr Jim Gillespie first spoke about proposed changes to hospitals and family medicine. He described how communities now have an opportunity to shape their future health.
The Coalition was then launched by Dr. Sue Harnett, Chair of the Bankstown GP Division.
“We have real concerns that Bankstown, Fairfield and Liverpool are going to miss out on the benefits of family medicine reform,” said Dr. Harnett.
“The Cranny Report proposed much smaller locally connected organisations, “Medicare Locals,” in the wealthier parts of Sydney, and a giant disconnected Medicare Local for the economically deprived, ethnically diverse and fastest growing south western Sydney region,” she said.
“A single giant bureaucracy won’t fix the health problems in Bankstown, Fairfield and Liverpool - some of the most diverse and disadvantaged parts of Sydney.”
“Two smaller Medicare Locals are the only solution – a South West Sydney Medicare Local covering the natural grouping of Bankstown Fairfield and Liverpool, and a Macarthur – Southern Highlands Medicare Local, serving the fast-growing suburbs south of Liverpool”, said Dr. Harnett.
“Given that the government is now looking for local ideas, we have a once in a lifetime chance to change health for the better,” said Dr. Harnett. “This means family doctors working more closely with hospitals, other health professionals, local government, and actively engage the strengths of our many diverse community organisations.”
“We now call on families, individuals, health professionals and community organisations to join us, to contact their local MPs, and together, to shape the future of health in south west Sydney.”
This raises an interesting point for the residents of the Southern Highlands. Do they want to be in a Mega Medicare Local (from Fairfield to Bundanoon) in which the population is so skewed in age as well as in cultures, or do they think it would be any better to be connected as a branch with the Macarthur Medicare Local in which the population is equally skewed in age and cultures.I find it abysmal, though not surprising, that Dr Warwick Ruscoe and Dr Vince Roche and their fellow Board members of the Southern Highlands Division of General Practice have not bothered to see what local residents have to say about this marriage they propose. Surely the patients who are the health consumers do have a right to make their views heard. Where has there been any public discussion about a significant effect that such amalgamations will have on their patients. Dr Ruscoe your silence has been deafening.
