Back on April 1, when the Croakey Register of Unreleased Documents was launched, it included mention of an NHMRC review of public health research which was conducted last year and whose findings have been widely anticipated. At the time, the NHMRC’s ceo Professor Warwick Anderson told us that the report would be released “next week”.
Well, [...]
Dr Lesley Russell, of the Menzies Centre for Health Policy, has been analysing what the budget means for health policy and finds it lacking:
The exigencies of the global financial crisis and its consequences always meant that the 2009-10 budget was going to be more about targeted new spending and lots of budget cuts in current [...]
I’ve been struck by how public debate has framed changes to the private health insurance rebate as “an attack on middle class welfare”.
This distracts attention from the arguably more important issue that PHI is considered by many to be an inefficient, inequitable way of funding health care. It also seems to undermine community understanding of [...]
The sound of obstetricians crying poor in the wake of budget changes to the Medicare Safety Net is not eliciting much sympathy in many quarters.
Take this, from GP Dr Kerri Parnell, the editor of Australian Doctor, a magazine for GPs.
She writes in the latest issue: “Within a month of the Medicare Safety Net being introduced [...]
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 [...]
Professor John Wakerman, Director, Centre for Remote Health, A joint Centre of Flinders University & Charles Darwin University, writes:
1. Hospitals have done well.
2. Indigenous health: continuing support for closing the gap is wellreceived. Continuing support for the Expanded Health Services Delivery
Initiative in NT is welcome. We need this strategic approach toimproving PHC services nationally, not [...]
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 [...]
Caroline Homer, Professor of Midwifery, UTS, writes:
It’s a landmark night for maternity services for Australian women. Finally, after more than 20 years of discussion and debate this Federal government has been brave enough to acknowledge that maternity services are provided by a number of health professional including midwives, GP obstetricians and obstetricians.
Tonight’s announcement goes towards [...]
Health policy expert Dr Yvonne Luxford writes:
Nobody expected a generous budget, and at first blush the health budget is definitely not generous.
However, the good news is that the vital area of Indigenous health has received a strong influx of funding (apparently not to be distributed via the jurisdictions), and the programs to incentivise a rural [...]
These are the bits from the budget I’ve highlighted – at a first quick glance – that are particularly relevant for those with an interest in rural and remote health:
Infrastructure
Funding for regional cancer centres
$27 million for an integrated district health service in Narrabri, bringing together hospital, primary and community health services
$8.6 million for an expansion [...]
