Recent attempts by several corporate entities to secure more of Australia's primary medical care profits have so far been unsuccessful, but it is probably not the last we will hear from them. The 2020 scenario,* far fetched though it may seem, depicts general practice succumbing to the dollar lures of the Corporates. It is a primary healthcare model characterised by heavy regulation, structural division, detachment and constant change. An interventionist government bureaucracy and a ruthless commercial administration have effectively removed all autonomy and personalised attention from the individual's practice. Adherence to strict administrative protocols protects the commercial interests of the company, and both take priority over providing quality primary care.
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- Westcare Medical Centre, Melton, VIC.
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