FEDERAL Health Minister, Greg Hunt, has confirmed that pharmacists will be included in newly proposed bipartisan legislation which retains subsidies for high-cost negligence payouts for non-doctor health practitioners.
Hunt took the bill to parliament for its second reading in Sep confirming the inclusion of pharmacists and midwives in the subsidy system.
"The Medical and Midwife Indemnity Legislation Amendment Bill 2019 amends the Medical Indemnity Act 2002 and related legislation to streamline the legislation underpinning the Government's support for medical indemnity insurance," Hunt said.
The new legislation, planned for adoption from 01 Jul 2020, creates "a level playing field for medical indemnity insurers and better protection for practitioners, be they medical, allied health or midwifery," he said.
By way of explanation, Hunt said the Australian Government had decided to subsidise the medical indemnity market to prevent market failure and stabilise the industry "after Australia's largest medical indemnity provider, United Medical Protection, was placed in provisional liquidation in May 2002".
He added that the plan had been developed "in conjunction with the allied health sector, with the pharmacy sector, in particular---and I want to acknowledge and thank them for their engagement---and, as well, with the midwifery community and the medical community."
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