Collapse of contract talks puts low GP fees in jeopardy

Lower doctors' fees for hundreds of thousands of middle-aged patients visiting their GP may not start on July 1 after contract talks with the Government broke down in bitterness yesterday.

"The Government has flagrantly collapsed [the] contract talks," said the GP Leaders Forum.

This claim was denied by a representative of the 21 district health boards.

The Government wants to provide around $100 million a year in subsidies for the 670,000 people aged 45 to 64 whose GP visits are not already subsidised in other ways.

The new subsidy averages $27 a visit. It is intended to lower fees, which are about $50 on average and can be as high as $80.

Primary health organisations representing about half the population have objected to a clause which requires doctors to submit higher-than-normal proposed fee increases for approval.

The GP Leaders Forum says it would give the Government power over patient fees, something that GPs could not risk giving up.

The district health boards' representative said the talks had to wrap up yesterday in time for the July 1 start of the new subsidies, but after the negotiations the boards had decided the proposed contract would be "tweaked", mainly by making the fees-review process non-binding.

GP Leaders Forum spokesman Peter Foley said this was a significant move, but the boards would also have to give up their fees' pre-approval requirement in order to get his organisation's support.

* Junior doctors have voted "overwhelmingly" in favour of striking, Resident Doctors Association general secretary Deborah Powell said yesterday.

No date had been set for a strike, but the 2500-member union had voted for one because of lack of progress in pay talks with district health boards.