“The focus on General Practice reminds us that GPs provide the most cost effective primary care, as their medical training allows them to accurately diagnose illnesses which can present with numerous combinations of symptoms,” said AMA (NSW) President Dr Brian Morton.

“Changes to primary health care are under consideration, and many allied health providers are seeking roles previously confined to doctors such as diagnosis of illness and the right to prescribe medication.

“The AMA maintains that patients are entitled to care from qualified doctors, who can delegate appropriate tasks to practice nurses or refer to other medical specialists and allied health providers.

“Eighty per cent of Australians visit their GP at least once a year. In Australia, we are lucky enough to be able to spend more time with our local doctor than people in comparable countries.

“The federal government should support the existing successful model of neighbourhood general practice by reversing federal budget cuts to pre-vocational training, in order to encourage the take up of general practice as a career, and ensuring the Medicare Benefits Schedule is indexed to reflect the costs of running a practice.

“The AMA has marked General Practice Week by issuing a risk management kit for GP members to allow them to increase security in their practices, following research showing that GPs can be the subject of violence or threats,” Dr Morton said.