media releases

“The Doctors Reform Society welcomes the many positive ideas presented in the interim report from the National Health and Hospitals Reform Commission,” said Dr Tim Woodruff, President, Doctors Reform Society, “but we wonder how their stated commitment to the principles of equity and efficiency has allowed them to ignore the inequitable and inefficient Private Health Insurance (PHI) rebate. Is choice more important than equity?”

“The belated recognition that dental care should be universally available is a huge step forward for many Australians who until now have had no choice but to live in pain, unable to eat properly, waiting years for treatment,” said Dr Woodruff. “The disappointment is that, even if the Government took the advice, those in rural and remote Australia will continue without dental care because fee for service funding will not get dentists into such areas. Denticare also guarantees that those who have the money for private insurance can get faster access. That’s choice before equity. It should be the opposite.”

“It is encouraging to see that primary health care, care in the community, is given such a high priority in this report, and that the funding for this care will no longer be spread between local, State, and Commonwealth authorities, thus potentially improving the integration of care in this sector. It is disappointing however, that there is no clear vision of how the recommended Comprehensive Primary Health Care Centres would be funded, governed, and staffed.”

“The report clearly identifies inequities in funding and recommends regional block funding for rural and remote areas, based on need,” said Dr Woodruff, “but the report ignores this issue for inner and outer regional areas where many more Australians regularly miss out on their fair share of Government spending. They have no choice.”

“Our public hospitals are struggling, burdened by inadequate Commonwealth funding. The drift of doctors from public to private hospitals and the inequity of access to public hospitals is clearly identified in the report but the contribution of the PHI rebate to this inequity is ignored. Choice remains a taxpayer subsidised option for the minority of Australians who can afford PHI and can queue jump public hospital waiting lists, whilst the most needy just wait. They have no choice. Vested interests remain untouched.”

Dr Tim Woodruff
President
Doctors Reform Society

Dr Con Costa
Vice President
Doctors Reform Society

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