Major healthcare reform is high of the agenda for Australia’s premiers and chief ministers at Friday’s nationwide cupboard assembly as they battle with Prime Minister Anthony Albanese for pressing Medicare reforms.
Medicare is below immense strain throughout the nation, with dwindling numbers of GPs and a decline in bulk billing pushing public hospitals to their limits.
The premiers and chief ministers are anticipated to obtain the findings of the strengthening Medicare taskforce on Friday.
There are a lot of choices on the desk, together with a push to extend Medicare rebates, give pharmacists the instruments to prescribe frequent medicines, restore Commonwealth hospital funding to an equal ratio, and improve GP pay.
NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet stated he needed Friday’s nationwide cupboard assembly to culminate in a “road map to a better national health system”.
“Meaning greater integration between the primary care network and the GP network and the public health system,” he stated forward of the assembly.
“We need to work together. We are less interested in discussions on money. I’m more interested in policy and making sure we have a road map to a better system.”
Mr Perrottet has been campaigning strongly together with his Victorian counterpart Daniel Andrews, who additionally echoed the sentiment of not placing a greenback determine on pressing reform.
“Ongoing health reform, particularly of Medicare, is the No.1 priority in 2023,” Mr Andrews stated.
“When you think about it, it’s never been harder to find a bulk-billing doctor. And that’s putting real pressure on our health system.
“It’s very difficult to put a dollar figure on this, and some of this is not about money.”
Mr Perrottet, Mr Andrews and Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk all pointed to the success of the trial in NSW, and upcoming trial in Queensland, of pharmacies with the ability to prescribe medicines for some illnesses.
“I think there’s opportunity for there to be drastic change when it comes to delivery of health care in this nation,” Ms Palaszczuk stated.
Mr Perrottet and Mr Andrews have additionally indicated they are going to name for a rise in federal hospital funding.
However, a member of the strengthening Medicare taskforce, Stephen Duckett, stated it was a “bit outrageous” for the states to demand the federal authorities repair every thing.
“Actually, half the spend in hospitals are theirs, so hopefully out of this meeting with the Commonwealth, the state premiers will grow up and actually be an adult in this conversation rather than pretending they’re a kid asking for more lollies,” he instructed ABC Radio.
South Australian Premier Peter Malinauskas stated Australia’s healthcare system had been “teetering on crisis” and his constituents had been bearing the brunt.
“South Australians are now waiting 55 per cent longer to see a GP than what was the case only three years ago, which means people are getting sicker waiting to see a GP and they end up in an emergency department, which puts huge pressure on the hospital system,” he stated.
“We need to have a plan from the federal government about what is happening in Medicare to the hospital system … We do need to see a degree of urgency.”
Asked about whether or not the Albanese authorities ought to share funding equally for public hospitals, WA Premier Mark McGowan stated the expansion of spend in hospitals had been “massive” in his state.
“The reason that demand is massive is so many people are going to hospitals and not to GPs – that’s the simple fact,” he stated.
“I will continue to support further discussions (on a 50/50 funding split), but for me, the most important thing is making sure we have alternative forms of care for people.”
Source: www.news.com.au
