Media Release
Wednesday, 7 May 2004
“The Government’s plan to buy votes with
tax cuts from its huge budget surplus is also a plan to leave our health care
system to the disaster of market forces and leave our patients wearing the
costs of too many out of pocket charges just to get decent health care,” said
Dr
“The public has repeatedly said that it wants improved health care rather than tax cuts”, said Dr Woodruff. “$2 billion from this huge budget surplus could be afforded to improve our health care system and. Combine that with the $3.3 billion from the private health insurance rebate and the Medicare Levy Surcharge exemption for the rich, and we have $5.3 billion to improve our health system, to restore it to being a health care system which aims to provide quality health care to all, independent of means. This much money, however, could do more than simply restore Medicare, it could be used to improve it. Structural problems in Medicare could start to be addressed if there are sufficient funds in the system for it not to be struggling just to give the bare minimum of care.”
“Public hospitals are struggling everywhere due to lack of funds, inadequate staff, and low morale”, said Dr Woodruff. “Meanwhile, the well heeled can easily get what they need, from whatever staff they need, in the private hospital next door, funded heavily by taxes that could be spent on staff in the public hospital.”
“But the first point of call for patients in the community, primary care, is in desperate shape. Medicare Minus has given a small kick to doctors’ income, only to see the struggling non health care card holders given nothing except a saggy safety net, and a pathetic pretence at improving allied health services”.
“We propose a significant injection of funds back into the public health system, at GP and primary care level, at the public hospital level, and into Aged Care. We need more money to get doctors back working in the public system instead of the heavily subsidised private system.”
“Patients and their families want better health care rather than tax cuts”, said Dr Woodruff. “The Government wants us all to pay more out of our pockets for our health, which simply means that those who are sick have to find the money or die trying. Far better that we all contribute through taxes. It’s cheaper and much fairer. It unites Australians. John Howard wants to divide us into the haves and the have nots. He has forgotten the battlers. We see them daily and can’t forget them.”
|
|
$millions |
$millions |
$millions |
|
Expenditure
(items) |
Expenditure From Budget Surplus |
Expenditure From PHI |
Total |
|
Public
Hospitals |
1000 |
500 |
1500 |
|
GP Rebate
(additional to Medicare Minus), $5-10 for all bulk billed services |
250 |
|
250 |
|
Package
for Bulk Billing GPs |
|
300 |
300 |
|
Primary
Health Care Centres (Allied Health) |
450 |
450 |
900 |
|
After
Hours GP Services |
300 |
150 |
450 |
|
Dental
Health |
|
200 |
200 |
|
Aboriginal
Health |
|
700 |
700 |
|
Aged
Care |
|
1000 |
1000 |
|
|
2000 |
3,300 |
5300 |
Dr Tim Woodruff President Doctors Reform Society |
Dr Con Costa Vice President Doctors Reform Society |
Dr Tracy Schrader Vice President Doctors Reform Society |
Back to Media
Releases
[ Doctors Reform Society of Australia
home page]
[ About DRS
] [ Search
] [ What's
New ]
[ Policies
] [ Media
Releases ] [ Published Letters ]
[ Online
articles ]
[ New
Doctor: Journal of the DRS ]
[ Discussion Board ] [ Contacting DRS
] [ Joining
DRS ] [ Links
]