Wagga Glenrock Country Practice GP says Riverina internet needs to improve for telehealth access

Wagga GP Ayman Shenouda said the move to make telehealth Medicare rebates permanent was a chance to improve telecommunications infrastructure in the Murrumbidgee.

"We need to ensure general practices have access to infrastructure that would support video conferencing," he said.

"It's an opportunity for us to look for areas where we have no internet access and to encourage the government to get internet access to every part of Australia."

In the past, GPs were not able to claim Medicare rebates for appointments conducted over the phone or on videoconferencing, meaning patients had to pay full-fee for these consultations.

Temporary Medicare telehealth items were introduced in March to improve patient access during the pandemic, which are set to expire in March.

Federal health minister Greg Hunt has said the government will seek to cement the telehealth as "a permanent transformation in the Australian scheme".

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Dr Shenouda, a past president of the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners, said the body had been pushing for a permanent telehealth system for about five years.

While he doesn't think virtual appointments should replace face-to-face care, he said telehealth helped people in rural Australia access GP and specialist appointments.

He said telephone appointments had been been a good introduction to general practice for Riverina residents who were usually reticent to seek medical help.

"Farmers with mental health issues are reluctant to go and see the doctor, but their daughter or son can come to me and say, I'm very worried about my dad," he said.

"They can say, 'You don't have to go to the doctor, how about we talk to the doctor on the phone?' And that could be a better start of access."

But Dr Shenouda acknowledged there are patients in the Riverina who have limited internet access.

He said older patients found it difficult to use video conferencing and called on the government to keep Medicare rebates for both telephone and online GP appointments.

Dr Shenouda also raised concerns about the "alarming issue" of rising out-of-pocket costs for patients and said he would love to see an increase to Medicare rebates available for all GP appointments.

"We need looking for universal access for patients with lower costs as much as we can," he said.

Deputy Prime Minister and Riverina MP Michael McCormack said the government continued to work on improving telecommunications.

"The communications infrastructure delivered by the Federal Government has allowed Australians to escape the city, which can only be a good thing for our regional communities and for the nation's COVID recovery," he said.

Mr McCormack encouraged residents and councils in the Riverina to apply for Round 5A of the government's "Mobile Black Spot" coverage upgrade program, which closes on February 10.

He said the program had already funded 23 base stations in the Riverina, 19 of which have been constructed and include transmitters in Ladysmith, Dirnaseer and Wantabadgery.