Category Archives: primary health care

Are you aware of the irony, Mr Rudd?

July 28, 2009 – 12:00 pm

How ironic.
The Prime Minister launches the National Health and Hospitals Reform Commission report stressing the need to boost primary care. And then what does he do? Takes off, with Minister Roxon, on a tour of teaching hospitals. The impact will be to once again focus public attention and debate upon hospitals. You can bet the [...]

By Croakey | Also posted in Hospitals, health reform | Tagged , , , | Comments (5)

Some thoughts about hospitals and the Productivity Commission

July 8, 2009 – 2:55 pm

As mentioned previously at Croakey, the Productivity Commission is studying the relative performance of public and private hospitals with a draft report scheduled for release in September and a final report due to go to the Government in November.
As part of the study, the Commission has been requested to consider:

comparative hospital and medical costs for [...]

By Croakey | Also posted in Hospitals, health reform, public health | Tagged , , | Comments (1)

Why more dollars will not fix the health system

June 4, 2009 – 4:23 pm

For everyone who believes that simply spending more money is the answer to the health system’s woes, this new report should be essential reading.
It’s a review of the evidence about efficiency and health systems, released today as a National Health and Hospitals Reform Commission background paper.
Here, after a speed read, are some of the more [...]

By Croakey | Also posted in Hospitals, health reform, prevention, private health insurance | Tagged , , , | Comments (0)

Treasury’s role in health and other interesting insider insights

May 14, 2009 – 3:56 pm

The latest edition of the Public Health Bulletin of SA has an interesting report on a roundtable debate about some of the difficulties and dilemmas confronting the prevention agenda.
It’s interesting because the report – rather than massaging the discussions into bland, politically acceptable speak, as so often happens – has retained what sounds like a [...]

By Croakey | Also posted in Food, Health inequalities, obesity, prevention, public health | Tagged , , , , , | Comments (2)

Hearing one thing, but doing another?

May 13, 2009 – 6:42 pm

Questions are being asked about whether there is a pattern of inconsistency emerging. First we have evidence, as per the previous post, that the Government is planning something quite different for the National Preventive Health Agency than what the experts have recommended for it.
Now compare and contrast the following two statements – the first from [...]

By Croakey | Also posted in Federal Budget 2009-2010, health reform | Tagged , , , | Comments (0)

Andrew Podger gives the health budget “a muted tick”

May 13, 2009 – 9:17 am

Andrew Podger writes:
The health budget contains a lot of positives. Bearing in mind the major spending initiatives of the last 18 months, including  the new Australian Health Care Agreements (reversing the serious neglect of public hospitals by the Howard Government) and Indigenous health services, the Government deserves congratulations for including additional spending measures that will [...]

By Croakey | Also posted in Federal Budget 2009-2010, health reform, private health insurance | Tagged , , , , | Comments (0)

Paul Smith reveals the NHHRC’s plans

May 12, 2009 – 8:51 am

Paul Smith, political editor at Australian Doctor, has had a briefing from the National Health and Hospitals Reform Commission. He writes:
The commission’s final report is due in  about six weeks . Last week its chair Dr Christine Bennett held a few background briefings for journalists.  The  final report is still a work in progress apparently. [...]

By Croakey | Also posted in Hospitals, health reform | Tagged , , , | Comments (1)

The federal budget and health: a Croakey survey

May 6, 2009 – 11:58 am

In the lead-up to the budget, Croakey has asked an assortment of public health and health policy types about their wishes and expectations.
Michael Moore, CEO, Public Health Association of Australia
In the initial budget for this government was a huge effort on hospital waiting lists and $$$ through to the States for improvements at the tertiary [...]

By Croakey | Also posted in Health inequalities, Hospitals, Indigenous health, alcohol, chronic diseases, health ethics, health reform, mental health, prevention, private health insurance, public health, quality and safety of health care, tobacco control | Tagged , , , , , , , | Comments (1)

Revealing the hidden documents of health

April 1, 2009 – 1:23 pm

As the blurb to the right indicates, the Croakey blog takes a sharp interest in evidence-informed policy and practice, transparency and informed public debate.
In the interests of all these worthy causes, as well as giving the pot a well-deserved stir, we are launching a new Croakey initiative.
Let’s call it the Croakey Register of Unreleased Documents [...]

By Croakey | Also posted in Croakey Register of Unreleased Documents, evidence-based issues, health and medical research, health reform, mental health | Tagged , , , , , , , | Comments (0)

Let citizens’ juries loose on the NHHRC recommendations: Gavin Mooney

February 16, 2009 – 7:07 pm

Gavin Mooney, Professor of Health Economics, University of Sydney, writes:
Following on from my prediction of what would NOT be in the NHHRC’s interim report (see earlier Croakey post below), I was unfortunately right – even if some of the proposals, especially on one-stop shops for primary care and improving equity, are good. But is is [...]

By Croakey | Also posted in Health inequalities, Indigenous health, health reform | Tagged , , , , | Comments (0)