Budget blow to Indigenous health
AMA Vice President, Professor Geoffrey Dobb, said today that Indigenous health agencies, services and programs have suffered in this week’s Federal Budget.
Professor Dobb said it appears that Indigenous health programs have been severely ‘rationalised’ during their transfer from the Department of Health and Ageing to the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet.
Professor Dobb said that Aboriginal people and Torres Strait Islanders are also among the hardest hit by the Government’s new GP, other specialist, and emergency department co-payments.
“The co-payments, as proposed, will hit those most disadvantaged, particularly Aboriginal people and Torres Strait Islanders, who have the least capacity to pay, have high rates of ill health and injury, and who experience significant difficulties already in getting access to appropriate health care,” Professor Dobb said.
“AMA reports show that 37.5 per cent of Aboriginal peoples and Torres Strait Islanders living in non-remote locations, and 16.5 per cent in remote locations, already have problems accessing health services because of the cost.
“The co-payments will make access to health services even harder.
“Aboriginal people and Torres Strait Islanders are already missing out on their fair share of health resources because their use of the Medicare Benefits Scheme (MBS) and the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS) is low compared to the rest of the population.
“The co-payments will compound this inequity.
“We acknowledge that some chronic disease items and health assessments will be exempt, but the overall impact of these changes will make it harder to close the health and mortality gap.
“Community-controlled health services, which rely on limited core funding, will be under increased pressure.”
Professor Dobb said the AMA is also concerned about the cuts to Indigenous Affairs programs.
“We support reductions in unnecessary bureaucracy but we are opposed to cuts to funding of successful programs and services that deliver positive outcomes to the lives of Aboriginal people and Torres Strait Islanders,” Professor Dobb said.
“The AMA is particularly concerned about the cessation of the National Congress of Australia's First Peoples, which played a significant role in representing the interests of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, including health, at the highest levels of Government and the public service.
“We will be asking the Government to clarify the Budget impact on Aboriginal people and Torres Strait Islanders, and we will work to minimise any harm from the co-payments and seek assurances that the Government remains committed to closing the gap,” Professor Dobb said.
16 May 2014
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