| Publication: | ABC News |
|---|---|
| Date: | 19 November 2009 |
| Section: | Australia - health news |
A meeting of eye specialists and the Federal Health Minister has failed to resolve a stoush over the Government's decision to reduce the Medicare rebate for cataract surgery.
The Federal Government reduced the rebate at the start of this month, but ophthalmologists have been campaigning against the move.
A group of eye doctors spent about an hour with Health Minister Nicola Roxon this afternoon.
Russell Bach from the Society of Ophthalmologists says the Government needs to give ground.
"Unfortunately, the Minister's position is one that will still compromise the position from the patients' perspective and from the community's perspective and that's our concern in this whole arrangement," he said.
Mr Bach says ophthalmologists will continue their campaign against the Federal Government's decision.
He says the move will hurt elderly patients and those in regional areas.
"The decision has been a bad decision. The message is only getting back to the Government now," he said.
"That's why they've called us back to review the situation, but unfortunately we can't be guaranteed that there's any real goodwill in this other than the Government trying to disembowel Medicare and save some money."
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