The Coalition Government is building a balanced health system that ensures all Australians have access to high quality care.
We are committed to a strong and sustainable public health care system – Medicare – that ensures access to quality care regardless of income.
We are committed to a viable private health care system that gives people greater choice and helps sustain Medicare by taking pressure off public health services.
And we are committed to rebuilding health and medical services in Australia';s country towns, regions and urban fringes.
The initiatives I am announcing today build on the Coalition Government';s achievements over the past 5 years. They will strengthen Medicare and provide better access to health and medical services across Australia, regardless of where people live.
Today I am announcing a $306 million package to provide more doctors in outer-metropolitan areas, better treatment for cancer patients, better palliative care in the community and better care for people suffering from arthritis.
This includes $219.2 million of election commitments and $87.2 million of initiatives endorsed but not announced by the Government shortly before the election was called.
This package is part of a plan to build a sustainable, balanced health system for the future.
Doctor numbers in outer-metropolitan areas need to keep up with recent rapid population growth in these areas. The Coalition will increase the number of doctors who work in the outer-metropolitan areas of all six state capitals.
We will provide $80 million over four years to bring an additional 150 doctors to practice in these areas.
Specialist trainees and researchers will be able to work in supervised general practice programmes in these areas. They will be encouraged to work after hours and on weekends.
Doctors undertaking the ‘general stream'; of the GP training programme will be required to train in designated outer-metropolitan areas.
GPs who complete a ‘fast track'; vocational registration programme and who work in a designated outer-suburban area will become eligible for higher Medicare rebates and for practice incentive payments.
In addition to ensuring doctors are in outer-urban areas the Coalition is announcing that it will be providing $43.4 million over four years to establish after-hours primary medical care sites in 32 sites across Australia.
It is important that people with cancer have access to world-class diagnosis and treatment.
We will provide $73 million over four years to improve access to radiation oncology services for people living in country Australia.
At present, there are only eight of these services located outside the capital cities. Up to six new services will be funded under this proposal.
The location and operation of these new services will be determined by the results of an Inquiry into the provision of radiation oncology recently announced by the Government and due to report in early 2002.
The Coalition will also spend $43.8 million over five years (2001-02 to 2005-06) to fund six new Positron Emission Tomography (PET) scanners for cancer diagnosis and management in locations where Australians do not currently have access to this technology.
People who are dying deserve to be treated in a dignified manner in a setting of their choice.
The Coalition will provide $55 million over four years to equip health workers such as GPs, community nurses and other allied health professionals to improve the standard of palliative care offered in their local communities, including pain management.
The measure will support people choosing to die at home and will also provide more assistance to families of those who choose palliative care.
A strong emphasis will be placed on the delivery of palliative care for people in residential aged care and people living in regional and remote areas.
As our population ages, arthritis will become an increasingly major health issue. Three out of four Australians will develop some form of arthritis during their lifetime.
The Coalition will provide $11.5 million over four years to improve access by GPs to quality treatment and prescribing information, and help arthritis sufferers and their families with advice and support in managing diet and exercise. In addition, the Coalition will make the better management of arthritis and muscoloskeletal conditions a National Health Priority area.
Disability brought about by arthritis is a common form of entry into residential aged care and better management of the condition can be very effective in helping people to remain at home for longer.
New Health Care Agreements with the states and territories are due to commence in July 2003. The Coalition will initiate negotiations early in the next term, with the following major objectives:
Reduction of public hospital waiting lists and waiting times. Reduction of adverse events in public hospitals. More investment in step-down care and rehabilitation services and infrastructure to allow people discharged from hospital to be treated and cared for at home wherever practical. Improving on the strong safety and quality focus that is a feature of the current Agreements. Ensuring that the states and territories share in overall increases in funding commitments to public hospitals.
The Coalition will not allow the Labor states to get away with under-funding their public hospitals or ignoring peoples'; wishes to have more post-hospital services provided in the community and at home.
That is because the Coalition has provided record funding of around $32 billion to the states and territories for public hospitals through the Australian Health Care Agreements.
This represents a 28% real increase over the five year life of these agreements, compared with a real increase of only 18% under the last agreements negotiated by the Keating Government.
As usual, Labor';s rhetoric on health ignores important realities.
Whatever the area of health policy – funding to the states and territories, better regional services, affordable private health insurance, or the immunisation of our children – the Coalition';s agenda and the Coalition';s record put Labor to shame.
Impact on the Forward Estimates (Cash estimate)
2002-03 $m
2003-04 $m
2004-05 $m
2005-06 $m
Total $m
More doctors for outer- metropolitan areas
12.0
18.0
25.0
25.0
80.0 Better treatment for cancer patients:- radiation oncology services
13.1
18.8
20.4
20.4
72.7 Palliative care in the community
10.0
15.0
15.0
15.0
55.0 Better arthritis care
1.5
3.0
3.5
3.5
11.5
Total
36.6
54.8
63.9
63.9
219.2