AMA congratulates Malcolm Turnbull on election as Prime Minister
The AMA congratulates Malcolm Turnbull on his election last night as Leader of the Liberal Party and Prime Minister, and looks forward to a fresh approach to building a strong health system to serve the Australian people.
AMA President, Professor Brian Owler, said that health must be a priority for the new Prime Minister and Cabinet.
“Poor health policy plagued the Coalition following the 2014 Budget, and the Government has struggled to fully recover,” Professor Owler said.
“The ill-fated GP co-payment and the scrapping of public hospital funding to the States severely damaged the Government’s health policy credentials.
“The management of the Health portfolio has improved, but there is still so much to be done to strengthen the health system to meet the needs of a growing and ageing population.
“The first task is to lift the freeze on Medicare patient rebates.
“Other priorities include a genuine, transparent consultative approach to the Medicare Benefits Schedule (MBS) Reviews; the restoration of public hospital funding; a review of the private health insurance system; significant new investment in general practice; and coordinated medical workforce planning.
“The AMA is keen to work with Prime Minister Turnbull on practical solutions to the challenges facing the Australian health system,” Professor Owler said.
The AMA acknowledges the contributions of Tony Abbott as Prime Minister, especially his decision to step in and put an end to the plans for GP co-payments, and his personal commitment to Indigenous health.
15 September 2015
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