BLIGH GOVERNMENT PROPOSES NEW ERA IN HEALTH REFORM

The Queensland Government will ask the Commonwealth to consider a 50-50 funding arrangement for public hospitals as part of a new era of cooperative federalism.

Health Minister Stephen Robertson said the proposal was part of the Queensland Government’s submission to the National Health and Hospitals Reform Commission, lodged today.

“Under the former Howard Government, the Commonwealth share of public hospital funding fell from about 50 per cent to about 35 per cent,” Mr Robertson said.

“At the same time, pressures on the acute health system have increased due to an ageing and growing Queensland population.

“This means the state has had to over-compensate for the litany of previous failures by the Howard Government in order to meet growing demand in primary and aged care sectors.”

The Queensland Government will call on the Commonwealth to:

·provide funding for primary care - including services provided through hospitals or other rural and remote outposts. This includes non-emergency services provided in accident and emergency centres.

·pay the full cost of providing those services in hospital and rural and remote settings, to ensure the primary health care system meets community needs;

·reform the Medicare Benefits Schedule system to boost chronic disease prevention and management in the primary health care context

·allow all specialist outpatient services provided by the states to offer bulk-billing, ensuring an equitable funding approach across states and the public and private sectors.

·pay the full hospital cost for seniors requiring aged care who remain in an acute public hospital setting for reasons other than clinical need.

·accept the Commission’s recommendation that states remain responsible for public hospitals.

Queensland has also proposed the State will accept responsibility for areas such as indigenous health, mental health and public health.

“The State Government fully supports greater clarity of responsibilities between governments in the health system,” Mr Robertson said.

“This will create a more streamlined system and end the blame game.

“We are currently investing a record $10 billion into the Queensland system through the five-year Health Action Plan.

“This funding, together with our determination to change the health system, is starting to pay dividends.

“Over the past three years, the clinical workforce has increased by an additional 1592 doctors, 5108 nurses and 1847 allied health professionals.

“Since July last year, our public hospitals will have admitted more than 805, 000 patients – a massive increase of 42,000 compared to three years ago.

“We will have also delivered more than 10.6 million occasions of service in emergency and outpatients departments, an increase of more than 1.79 million compared to three years ago.

“And we will deliver an additional 2,500 hospital beds by 2016 as well as more non-hospital based services.

“But in this new era of cooperative federalism, we are asking the Commonwealth to accept responsibility for primary and aged care services and to return to a fair share of funding for acute health services.

“This is the chance for renewal, and an opportunity to put right what the former Howard Government got badly wrong,” she said.

Mr Robertson said if the Howard Government had provided the States with a 50 per cent share of funding when the last Australian Health Care Agreement commenced, the Queensland health would have received additional recurrent funding of $2.1 billion in the 2008-09 financial year.

“Delivery of effective health services to meet Queenslanders’ growing needs requires a partnership from all tiers of government.

“We would welcome moves by the Commonwealth to redress the inequity in funding share for public hospital services.”

MEDIA: Alison Brown 3234 1185