Episode 9: Dr Siva Rajadurai – The Changing Landscape Of GP Care In Australia
In this episode, Alex sits down with Dr. Siva, a GP with 25 years of experience across Australia and Canada, to discuss the pressures facing general practice today.
Key Topics & Timestamps:
0:00] Introduction — Dr. Sva’s background: trained at UNSW Randwick, GP training on the NSW South Coast, 10 years of family medicine in Calgary and Toronto, now practicing in Green Square and the Northern Beaches.
[2:31] Mental health at the coalface — Dr. Sva sees 2–3 ADHD presentations daily. Rising anxiety, sleep disturbance, and a shortage of psychiatrists are pushing complex mental health care onto GPs within a 15-minute consult window.
[4:22] The cost barrier — A psychiatrist in Sydney costs a minimum of $700. Patients turn to their GP as a more affordable option, but GPs need better specialist backup to handle the load without burning out.
[6:41] GP burnout and workforce crisis — 70% of GPs are at burnout risk; one-third may retire in five years. A team-based approach and better mental health system integration are urgently needed.
[9:08] Aging population and practice economics — GP clinics run as small businesses. Medicare rebates haven’t kept pace, forcing GPs to see 4 patients per hour just to cover costs — at the expense of quality care.
[12:34] Canada vs. Australia — Both run fee-for-service models, but parts of Canada use salaried, team-based care. Canada is fully publicly funded with no out-of-pocket gap, but faces longer specialist wait times.
[15:49] Urgent care clinics — Pros: reduced pressure on EDs, strong communication back to GPs. Con: reduced after-hours procedural revenue for private practices.
[19:31] The GP shortage solution — Dr. Sva advocates for AI scribing tools to reduce admin burden, preserve GP capacity, and improve work satisfaction across the workforce.
Key Takeaways:
- Mental health demand is overwhelming GPs — better specialist collaboration is urgently needed.
- At $700+ per psychiatrist visit, GPs are the affordable frontline for mental health care.
- A third of GPs retiring in five years is a looming public health crisis.
- GP clinics are small businesses — Medicare rebates simply haven’t kept up with costs.
- AI scribing tools are a practical way to reduce admin load and prevent burnout
