Australian Medical Association president Steve Hambleton has warned the loss of incentives for doctors to remind patients that immunisations were due could create “a public health risk of the highest order”.

But Mudgee Medical Centre practice manager Colleen Best said the centre’s doctors and nursing staff believed the immunisation of children against serious diseases was of the utmost importance and would continue to provide this very important service, regardless of the presence or withdrawal of any financial incentives.

The South Mudgee Surgery will also continue sending out immunisation reminders.

Surgery nurse Cathy Pattullo said the AMA’s warning was “a generalisation” that did not take into account that the level of funding cuts would vary from surgery to surgery, depending on the Practice Nurses Incentive Program (PNIP), introduced on January 1.

Under the PNIP, doctors no longer receive individual payments for immunising patients. Instead, the surgery receives a lump sum based on the hours a practice nurse is employed.

In most cases, the sum is the same or more than the sum received before, Mrs Pattullo said.

“Here in Mudgee, both practices have full-time practice nurses so we get full funding.”

Incentives were being withdrawn because from July 1, parents will not receive the full $2100 Family Tax Benefit Part A Supplement unless their children are immunised.

Ms Pattullo said the program was designed by the government to encourage surgeries to have practice nurses working full time, therefore providing “a better, holistic team treatment for patients”.

“For these cuts to happen, they’d have to cut the funding from this program and that means getting doctors looking at whether they’ll stop getting practice nurses to do certain things at the surgery,” she said.

Ms Pattullo said this would be wrong, as practice nurses state wide had been taking on work in an increasing number of areas in general practice and were offering more services than ever before.

General practitioners currently receive $3.50 per patient immunised, on the condition they reach the required target of immunising at least 90 per cent of their child patients in line with national vaccination requirements.

Health Minister Tanya Pilbersek, said doctors’ incentives were being withdrawn because from July 1, parents will not receive the full $2100 Family Tax Benefit Part A Supplement unless their children are immunised.