Doctors Welcome Ageing Continuity
AMA Vice-President, Dr Mukesh Haikerwal, today welcomed Julie Bishop's re-appointment to the Howard Government as Minister for Ageing.
"The AMA has worked well with Ms Bishop in addressing some of the many workforce issues affecting access to quality aged care in Australia," said Dr Haikerwal.
"Ms Bishop has a firm understanding of the policy issues which must be addressed if we are to achieve better integration between health and aged care services. I am confident that Ms Bishop understands aged care is fundamentally a health care issue," Dr Haikerwal said.
"For example, older Australians' access to quality aged care services is being severely impaired by the difficulty in getting medical treatment for their illnesses.
"Most older Australians, their families, carers, and service providers know the difficulty of getting a doctor to see them quickly when they are sick.
"In her short period as Minister, Julie Bishop has established good relations with doctors, and everyone in the ageing and aged care sectors.
"She has also demonstrated political skills in overcoming the barriers that impede progress.
"The AMA welcomes the inclusion of dementia as a national health priority while Julie Bishop was Minister. We look forward to workable solutions for the increasing number of people in our community affected by dementia.
"The AMA congratulates Ms Bishop on her re-appointment, and looks forward to continuing to work co-operatively with Julie Bishop as Minister for Ageing in advancing these crucial areas for our ageing society," Dr Haikerwal said.
22 October 2004
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