AIHW diseases burden data underlines pressing need for investment in health
New AIHW data showing people are living longer with the burden of poor health points to the pressing need to ensure general practice is placed on a more sustainable footing, capable of delivering the type of care that patients now need.
New AIHW data showing people are living longer with the burden of poor health points to the pressing need to ensure general practice is placed on a more sustainable footing, capable of delivering the type of care that patients now need.
New data showing more Australians are living longer with the burden of disease underlines the need for better resourced GPs to assess and treat patients with more complex health needs.
The Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW) released its Australian Burden of Disease Study 2022, showing more Australians are living longer with the burden of chronic disease.
It found that Australians lost an estimated 5.5 million years of healthy life in 2022 and while fewer Australians are dying prematurely than 19 years ago, we are still living with similar amounts of ill health.
AMA President Professor Stephen Robson said the increase in the number of people living with chronic disease is further burdening an already overstretched health system — from primary care settings to hospitals and aged care.
“We see this play out day after day across our entire health system with people unable to access the primary care they need when they need it and ending up in our hospitals as a result,” he said.
“One of the startling figures to come out of this report is the fact that anxiety disorders are now in the top five diseases creating a burden on the health system. This is particularly affecting young people.
“We need investment in preventative care across the board, particularly in mental health if we are to prevent more and more patients unnecessarily ending up in hospitals as revealed in the AMA’s recent public hospital report card (mental health edition).
“Hospitals are not the right place for these and other patients who could be treated in the community with the right support.”
Professor Robson said GPs, who are at the forefront of managing these chronic conditions, have not received the support they need from successive governments.
“The healthcare needs of patients have become more complex as the population has aged, yet Medicare is stuck in the 1980s.
“As outlined in the AMA’s plan to Modernise Medicare, we need serious reform to put general practice on a more sustainable footing, capable of delivering the type of care that patients now need.”
