`Today's Budget will see the Government make the sick pay for the ever increasing costs of health care,' said Dr Tim Woodruff, National President of the Doctors Reform Society. `Some patients will stop taking their drugs. These drugs save lives. Those lives will be at risk. Undertreated patients will turn up in already under resourced public hospitals because they are not taking their medications.'

`Why is it that the Government refuses to look at the effect of its own policies which are a major contributor to the increase in health care costs?' asked Dr Woodruff.

`This Government sits on its hands and does nothing to counter the immense advertising power of the industry which influences doctors to prescribe the new and more expensive drugs even when they are no better than the older ones. It cries "ransom" when the powerful pharmaceutical industry refuses to pay back GST related savings of $250 million.'

Instead of slugging the sick, it could spend more money educating doctors about the best drug treatments (instead of leaving that to the drug industry). It could give a 10% boost to all of the major under resourced areas of health care such as public hospitals, aged care, dental care, and Aboriginal health, just by spending the wasteful $2.35 billion Private Health Insurance rebate better' said Dr Woodruff.

`This Government wants patients to PAY MORE FOR HEALTH. If you can't, you suffer. They don't care.'

14 MAY 2002

Dr Tim Woodruff
President,Doctors Reform Society

Dr Con Costa
Vice President, Doctors Reform Society

Dr Peter Davoren
Vice President, Doctors Reform Society

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