00:00It's a sign you don't often see these days in the Northern Territory.
00:07How difficult is it to get a bulk build appointment in the Northern Territory at the moment?
00:10Well, you can't.
00:11Would you even know where to go to get a fully bulk build appointment these days?
00:14No idea.
00:15I don't think there's many about, is there?
00:17No, there aren't, and new data backs this up.
00:21Online GP tracker CleanBill looked at 44 clinics across the NT and found as of January this
00:27year just 9.5% offer bulk billing to all patients.
00:33That's down 10% since the start of 2024, the steepest decline of all states and territories
00:39in the country.
00:40The average out-of-pocket cost to see a doctor in the NT is $43.86, up 7% from the year before.
00:49The NT now the fourth most expensive place to see a doctor in Australia, behind Tasmania,
00:55the ACT and New South Wales.
00:58You've gone from having one in every five GP clinics across the territory bulk billing
01:02those adults to one in every ten, fewer than one in every ten.
01:05For some, it's not just the cost.
01:07I try and avoid doctors like the plague because it's never any good news once you get over
01:1455.
01:15The Australian Medical Association says a downturn in affordable healthcare is having
01:20a real impact on an already overburdened hospital system.
01:24Not only are more people turning to emergency departments like this one to avoid the cost
01:29of visiting a doctor, they're also leaving often serious medical issues unchecked, leading
01:35to longer stays in hospital later on.
01:37Instead of having a day or two admission, you end up spending a week in hospital.
01:42So it just adds to further pressure.
01:44Dr Parker says efforts to increase Medicare rebates aren't having the desired impact.
01:50GP practices are in essence businesses.
01:54You've got to pay staff, you've got to pay rent, practice costs.
01:57The AMA says a possible solution could be establishing more urgent care clinics and
02:02providing extra funding for clinics who manage patients with chronic illness.
Comments