Both the AMA SA and AMAQ are calling for reform to travel subsidies to ease patient anxiety.
With fuel prices expected to climb, both AMA South Australia AMA Queensland (which is no longer part of the federation) have put out calls to support essential medical travel.
Under the pre-existing state government patient assistance transport schemes (PATS) in South Australia, select patients are eligible for a fuel subsidy of 32.8 cents per kilometre for approved medical appointments.
This subsidy is set to increase to 33.6 cents per kilometre from July, but the change is being slammed for not reflecting the true cost of travel.
Queensland has a near identical scheme that subsidises 34 cents per kilometre for patient travel.
AMA Queensland is looking to push for a subsidy that better matches current fuel prices.
“The Patient Travel Subsidy Scheme is critically important to Queenslanders living in regional and rural parts of the state,” AMA Queensland president Dr Nick Yim told The Medical Republic.
“It provides assistance to patients and their families to get the treatment they need, which sometimes can only be delivered in our bigger hospitals.
“The current fuel rebate rate of 34 cents per kilometre was already inadequate well before fuel prices skyrocketed last month.”
“The accommodation rebate of $70 per night cannot hope to cover even basic hotel, motel or even AirBNB costs in a capital city like Brisbane.”
AMA SA has estimated that more than 20,000 patients accessed the PATS scheme last year, with fuel price increases expected to boost that total dramatically.
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AMA SA President Associate Professor Peter Subramaniam said to TMR that this fuel crisis also highlights the need for further reforms to bring care closer to home.
“Fuel prices or no fuel prices, we need to see how we can deliver care closer to home for regional patients,” Professor Subramaniam told TMR.
“Delivering care close to home and strong primary care access is going to save unnecessary transfers or reduce the transfers also.
“We are not living in a in a crisis situation at the moment, but it’s just the level of anxiety that can occur for people who are making decisions about where their money should go.
“We don’t want them to ignore their healthcare needs.”
AMA Queensland has also reiterated that this is an issue that will primarily affect regional and rural patients who should be the target demographic for subsidy reforms.
“Healthcare systems will deliver care to vulnerable groups despite what the economy is doing,” Professor Subramaniam told TMR.
“The only way we can do that is if we invest in where we get the most return for our investment, and that is in primary care, that is in management of chronic disease, that is also in management of preventative care.”
