DOCTORS REFORM SOCIETY

Media Release

Wednesday, 4 April 2007

Labor To Abandon Public Hospitals?

 

“Suggestions that the ALP is set to abandon a provision in its policy platform opposing growth in private care at the expense of the public system (SMH today) should be of great concern to the 56% of Australians and 65% of over 65 year olds who don’t have private health insurance,” said Dr Tim Woodruff, President, Doctors Reform Society.

“Whilst Australians’ use of private hospital care has been increasing since the introduction of the Private Health Insurance (PHI) rebate, the majority of Australians still need and want a public hospital system funded by both Federal and State Governments,” said Dr Woodruff.

“The suggestion for the ALP National Conference would appear to indicate that the needs of the majority of Australians are to be seen as less important than the needs of those lucky Australians who can afford private health insurance,” said Dr Woodruff.

My patients facing an eighteen month wait for surgery must wonder why their neighbours have the same operation within weeks, supported in their private hospital bed by taxpayer funded private health insurance, said Dr Woodruff. How does this fit with Kevin Rudd’s stated commitment to social justice? Our public system is clearly lacking in resources whilst over $ 2 billion of taxes per year are spent on private hospital care. Where is the Labor commitment to a public health system delivering quality health care to all, independent of capacity to pay”? said Dr Woodruff.