''People who work in public hospitals pride themselves on delivering equitable care to whoever turns up at our front door. then there’s potential for patients who are acutely unwell to walk out and deteriorate,’’ he said.ĭr Judkins said any new fee for emergency care would hit the poorest people the hardest, undermining the principle of universal care. ‘‘We already have patients in emergency departments whose conditions deteriorate because they have to wait for a long period of time so if you throw in an additional disincentive of having to pay money before you see the doctor.
He said doctors were particularly worried about poor people and those with mental illnesses who could walk out of hospitals when they realise they might have to pay. He said the potential for this to occur, combined with a Commonwealth Government announcement that it will cut hospital funding to the states, could prompt the Victorian Government to introduce fees for emergency department care to raise more funding for the health system.īut Dr Judkins said doctors would strongly oppose such a move because it could deter people from seeking help with devastating consequences. On Tuesday night, the Commonwealth opened the door for the state and territory governments to start charging people for emergency department services after announcing that as of July next year, Australians will be charged a $7 co-payment for GP visits, including imaging such as X-rays and pathology such as blood tests.Ī spokesman for the Australasian College for Emergency Medicine, Dr Simon Judkins, said the new fees could prompt more patients to go to emergency departments instead of their GPs because hospital treatment is free. Victorian doctors have slammed the new $7 co-payment for GP visits and medical tests and say they will fight hard to prevent Victorian hospitals from introducing similar fees for emergency department care.
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