Funding cut for GP ECG services a ticking time bomb

Over 2.2 million heart health tests were not delivered by GPs due to Federal Government funding cuts in 2020, creating a ticking time bomb for millions of Australians, Royal Australian College of GPs President Dr Nicole Higgins is warning.   

Australia’s peak GP body, the RACGP, has called for revised Medicare Benefits Schedule (MBS) items to be introduced without delay in its submission to a review of changes to ECG MBS items.  

RACGP President Dr Nicole Higgins said: “Funding needs to be restored immediately for Australians to get this care from their GP – it’s been almost four years since the Federal Government cut this funding, and the risk of people with life threatening problems being missed since then is huge.   

“The RACGP strongly opposed the funding cut which restricted certain ECG services to non-GP specialists and consultant physicians, which costs patients much more. 

“As a result of this funding cut, 2.2 million fewer ECG services were provided to patients from 2020 to 2022. 

“Coronary heart disease is the leading cause of death in Australia. Timely diagnosis and management of heart conditions is key to saving lives. 

“We’ll never know how many patients with heart issues have missed out, who’s health has got worse, and the lives lost that we could have saved in the four years since this funding was cut. 

“We do know people in rural and remote communities have been hardest hit because local cardiologists are rare. So, when the government cut funding for Australians to get this care from their GP, it cut many people in rural communities off entirely unless they make a long drive or fly to their nearest specialist.   

“It may have saved the government’s bottom line in the short term, but it’s risking the health of Australians across the country every day. 

“Preventive heart disease screening via ECGs in general practice could prevent over 67,000 heart attacks, strokes, and deaths over five years, according to the Heart Foundation. 

“Other specialists also rely on the expertise of GPs to perform and interpret ECGs, such as before a patient starts stimulant medicines for ADHD treatment, so it’s impacting access to care in many other ways.   

“In the current cost-of-living crisis it’s critical that this funding is returned without delay. This is about restoring access to care for Australians, reducing costs, and ultimately saving lives.”