Focus needed on primary health care: GPs

Australia's health system is fixated on hospitals rather than focusing on preventing
people becoming sick, general practitioners say.
The system was taking the "ambulance at the bottom of the cliff" approach to health
care, they said.
Ahead of the expected public release of a report by the National Health and
Hospitals Reform Commission, the Australian General Practice Network says the
government needs to act quickly on reforming the health system.
Australians would continue to be hospitalised unnecessarily and die prematurely
unless that reform focused on the best interests of patients and the community, the
network said.
"This country is fixated with hospitals," network chairman Dr Emil Djakic said in a
statement.
"We keep pouring more money into fixing people after they get sick, instead of
caring for people so they don't get sick."
The network, which represents 95 per cent of Australia's general practitioners, says
the government needs to invest more resources in primary health care.