MEDICAL INDUSTRY GETS ANOTHER FREE KICK

Went to the gym with Christine on Saturday morning, as we usually do. Did a good hard strength training session. If you want to look at my strength training program go to www.fitandhealthyonline.com Then went for our usual Saturday morning breakfast where I nearly choked on my scrambled eggs when I read about the medical industry's latest free kick.

I couldn't believe it. I'm reading the Saturday edition of the The Canberra Times and there's an advert for 'The ACT Health GP Development (slush*) Fund.'

According to the advert the GP development fund is a four year bi-annual grants pool totalling $4 milling for general practices that commit to supporting the attraction, and development of the general practice workforce, through providing

- practice infrastructure grants to support and maintain the general practice workforce;

- support for teaching and learning at all levels in general practice; and

- support for ideas to attract and retain the general practice workforce.

Hello! What more do these people want?

Based on what my doctor charges me, (he's a good bloke, I don't begrudge him a fair wage and I do my best to go as infrequently as I can) doctors in the ACT are earning anywhere between $5,000 and $10,000 a week. (If you're a specialist you can earn that in a day for chrissakes.) OK so there's a few expenses to be taken care of, but it's not bad dough. You'd reckon that in itself would be sufficient to entice someone to come down to Canberra and hang out the shingle.

The ACT Government even subsidizes a medical degree course at the Australian National University and still can't get enough graduates to stay around their home town.

This is just another stunt put up by the ACT Division of General Practice (that also receives a million or more from the ACT Government to dream up schemes like this). The Division claims its members are overworked and that we need more of them. No wonder when those same members continue to give out the sort of advice that doesn't restore poor function to good and has their customers getting unfitter and fatter by the week - and coming back for more of the same advice.

I keep telling the ACT Minister for Health, Katy Gallagher that she's protecting the wrong industry. If she could subsidize the fitness industry and get everybody working their ringers out in the gym three or four times a week, doctors would be sitting around filing their nails, playing golf on Wednesdays and knocking off early on Fridays.

'support for teaching and learning.' What a joke. The Division of General Practice already gets money from the ACT Government for professional development, but based on the ever increasing level of junk medicine being practiced in the ACT it's obviously not hitting the mark.

(For those unfamiliar with the meaning of 'junk medicine', it's the medical practice that prescribes drugs to mask symptoms, not restore poor function to good.' When you think 'junk medicine' think of all the drugs to lower cholesterol, blood pressure ...)

It's a known fact that most doctors won't go to a professional development program unless it's a silver service nosh up at the Hyatt, that involves quaffing flagons of Grange Hermitage and is sponsored by the likes of Smirk, Fizzer and Roach - the suppliers of the junk medications. (Very cosy eh!)

'practice infrastructure grants to support and maintain the general practice workforce.' What the hell does that mean if it's not a doctor's slush fund.

Minister Gallagher should be moving heaven and earth to wind down the medical industry not make it bigger. On a national scale the medical industry sucks 10% of GDP into its vortex, and climbing. $100B a year - and they want more. They're either greedy or dreaming.

Her goal should not be to have more doctors employed in the ACT but to have the fittest and healthiest population in the world.

No one ever got fitter or healthier in a surgery.

The health of Australians continues to get worse. Protecting the medical industry will only make it worser (sic).

John Miller

* that was my idea!