THE debate about future directions for long term health reform in Australia is both old and new with the Territory adding further dimensions to the challenges of service delivery.
The Hon Warren Snowdon MP, Minister for Indigenous Health, Rural and Regional Health and Regional Services Delivery, presented the National Health and Hospital Commission Report into the future directions for long-term health reform in Australia as part of a regional forum in Alice Springs last week.
The forum based its agenda on reform goals of access & equity, redesigning our health system and creating an agile and self-improving health system for long term sustainability.
I would like to acknowledge and thank Mr Kevin Diflo who attended the forum as a Tennant Creek community delegate and provided me with a report to further inform the NT Minister for Health on the health care challenges we face in the Barkly.
In the report Kevin succinctly outlined the key driver of the Federal Minister’s reform package as, ‘access to health services with a focus on people’ including;
• The large increase in chronic disease related to tobacco, alcohol and obesity.
• The gap in the number of health professionals required to provide primary health care services.
• Rising health costs.
• Inequitable access to the health budget within States and Territories.
• Excessive time delays in relation to diagnosis and treatment.
• Rising costs related to mental health treatment.
• Two year wait time for dental health treatment.
• Rapidly escalating spending on health across the nation.
These key points paint a picture of State and Territory health services under enormous pressure with both budgetary and workforce issues impacting on service delivery and when you add the Territory logistics of regional and remote then a complex ‘fourth’ dimension enters the frame.
As a delegate Kevin actively participated in the discussions and presented a comprehensive written submission from a Barkly perspective that highlighted the current Patient Assisted Travel Scheme (PATS) as limiting access to quality health care and proving to be inequitable in terms of covering the real costs of travel for health services.
Kevin’s submission also provided great insight into redesigning our health system through clear coordination between government and non-government agencies to support primary health care service delivery premised on the age old philosophy, ‘prevention is better than cure’ and the need to train health professionals in the NT as an urgent matter of ‘growing our own workforce’.
The Australian Government is looking at resolutions that may include a take-over of our hospitals and health care delivery and awaits the findings of the high level ‘Henry Review’ for an analysis of options with the Member for Lingiari informing the research from a regional and remote context.
On behalf of all Barkly constituents I would like to thank Kevin Diflo for his time, effort and interest in attending the forum and providing the report for our NT Minister in addition to the valuable lobbying of our Australian Government with a written submission that will both inform and guide the important decision making processes to improve our heath care system.