Elective Surgery Waiting Lists - Radio Interview With Dr Capolingua and the Minister for Health and Ageing

Well, today they offered $150 million, which is a drop in the ocean in what I said at the time was a drop in the ocean - $150 million, what's it going to do to clear out that backlog?

Joining us now is Dr Rosanna Capolingua, and she's the National President of the Australian Medical Association.

Hi Rosanna. How you going?

DR CAPOLINGUA: Yeah, good afternoon Howard.

HOWARD SATTLER: Good. Alright. Well $150 million, that's about one-sixth of what was promised during the election campaign. What's this going to do?

DR CAPOLINGUA: Well this $150 million is being distributed across the States as was allocated this morning, to assist with treating 25,000 patients that are on the elective surgery wait lists that haven't been able to be treated within the recommended clinical time frame.

So it's an amount of money targeted and has been allocated to the States in what looks roughly like a population percentage proportion, but of course...

HOWARD SATTLER: Yeah, New South Wales got $43 million. I think we got...

DR CAPOLINGUA: $43.3.

HOWARD SATTLER: ...$15 million.

DR CAPOLINGUA: That's right, we got $15.4 here.

HOWARD SATTLER: Yeah, but 25...

DR CAPOLINGUA: Northern Territory got a bit more, which it needed to do.

HOWARD SATTLER: Yeah, 25,000 it's going to clear out, you reckon, but how many are waiting? It must be over 100,000.

DR CAPOLINGUA: Oh, we know that obviously across Australia - in WA I think there's about 13,000 on the wait list here - 12 to 13,000 - that's the total wait list, and this is meant to be for those people who have been waiting for an inappropriate length of time.

If you look at WA, $15.4 million, I mean that's a cheque that the State Government could have written at any time. They could have written it...

HOWARD SATTLER: Yeah, they've got $2 billion in the bank anyway.

DR CAPOLINGUA: ...they could have written it ten times over in the last 12 months, and we say we need $100 million in WA.

So, the Federal Government has contributed $15.4. The State could have mopped that up very readily in its own right to deal with the issues, particularly I believe that we were looking at kids - ear, nose and throat problems - and kids have been waiting for a long time in WA to have that sort of treatment, and it always makes you think about the kids who have been suffering and the parents who have been worrying for an inordinate length of time about their children who have been sitting on a wait list when maybe that could have been remedied a lot more promptly by the State.

HOWARD SATTLER: So will you be pushing the Federal Government to back this up with a lot more? I mean, $150 million is, is just a little more than what we need for Western Australia at least...

DR CAPOLINGUA: Yeah, that's right.

HOWARD SATTLER: ...so, I mean, are you going to let 'em off the hook and...

DR CAPOLINGUA: No, there are two positive things about this that can be said - one thing, God we've got someone in a Federal Government who's focusing on the wait list.

HOWARD SATTLER: Yeah.

DR CAPOLINGUA: So that is a priority and it's a focus.

And the second thing is, of course, that we have this spirit of cooperation which we've never seen before...

HOWARD SATTLER: Yeah.

DR CAPOLINGUA: ...between the States and the Federal Government.

So, we're all working together with the same objective, then this $150 million sure is the first scratch, but we need to see a sustainable injection of funding into the Australian health care agreements, and a real injection of money into infrastructure and capital so that indeed we have a sustained effect on our elective wait list.

HOWARD SATTLER: So how soon should we, should the Federal Government be backing this up, and, you know, offering more?

DR CAPOLINGUA: Well the Australian health care agreements, the current ones expire at the end of the first six months of this year - at the end of June...

HOWARD SATTLER: Okay.

DR CAPOLINGUA: ...and we know that they will need to be negotiated with the States, and I'm sure that everyone will be very keen to see the outcome of that, to underpin this first flush, which we know will deliver a little bit of work but will not be a sustained thing.

The other thing is that I have had doctors all over Australia ringing me and saying "Rosanna, how are we going to do this where there's no capacity; we need beds; we need our theatres to be open longer and more days, rather than having days where the theatres are closed."

You have to underpin it with some system injections to enable the doctors and the nurses to actually do the work and look after the patients.

HOWARD SATTLER: Alright, we're about to talk to the Federal Minister. We'll see what she's going to do to follow this up.

Thanks Rosanna.

DR CAPOLINGUA: Thank you.

HOWARD SATTLER: Got Dr Rosanna Capolingua, she's the National President of the Australian Medical Association, and of course a West Australian.

Nicola Roxon joins us now; the Federal Health Minister.

Hello Minister, how you going?

NICOLA ROXON: Good thank you. How are you?

HOWARD SATTLER: Thanks for joining us.

Well, is this just the beginning, because I think you got the clear message there that this won't clear out anything like the whole backlog?

NICOLA ROXON: Look, you know, we absolutely understand that. We understand that there are a whole range of new investments and reforms that are needed in the health system. But it's really important that we deliver on the commitments we made. In fact...

HOWARD SATTLER: Well that was a thousand million dollars was the commitment.

NICOLA ROXON: ... well I was just about to say, let me clarify that for your listeners - actually we've made a commitment during the campaign to two and a half billion dollars...

HOWARD SATTLER: Okay, there's a way to go then.

NICOLA ROXON: I beg your pardon?

HOWARD SATTLER: There's definitely a way to go then.

NICOLA ROXON: Oh, absolutely, and a component of it was the elective surgery waiting lists, where we've committed $600 million that's going to be paid in three stages. Today's is the announcement of the first stage.

And actually for Western Australia, the people, the number of people that are on the waiting list beyond the time that the doctor has recommended they should be on, is just over 2,700. And this $15.4 million is going to pay for those procedures to be done.

So we don't pretend that fixes every problem in the health system. But I think it is quite important that we have a Commonwealth Government prepared to contribute to these measures and acknowledge that the States haven't always been able to do all of this themselves.

HOWARD SATTLER: Yeah, well Blind Freddy - with respect - could have seen that.

NICOLA ROXON: Well, but unfortunately we had a government for 11 years...

HOWARD SATTLER: I know.

NICOLA ROXON: ...that didn't do that.

HOWARD SATTLER: I know, but we could all see that, the patients could all see that, the people who are ringing talkback lines could see that.

NICOLA ROXON: Absolutely, and look now we feel very acutely the responsibility. We've said we want to end the blame game. We do want to have a sustainable injection of funding, as Rosanna said, into the health system.

My top priority is rolling out the election commitments that we've made and negotiating those health care agreements so we do have sustainable investment and some form...

HOWARD SATTLER: So there will be more in June will there when the Australian health care agreement is up?

NICOLA ROXON: Oh look, absolutely. We are already commencing negotiations. There will be also a second tranche of money for elective surgery where we're looking at $150 million - a second payment of $150 million that will look at capital projects - so infrastructure that might be needed for beds - as Rosanna uses as an example.

HOWARD SATTLER: Theatres, opening theatres.

NICOLA ROXON: Well, the sort of money that's been on the table today can of course go to opening theatres for longer times. This is additional money to what the States usually have for their elective surgery lists. So they can use it either to buy procedures from the private sector, to open theatres for longer. They can look at all different options. And each State and Territory bid, and put a proposal that was different in each State and Territory. And we've taken account of that.

HOWARD SATTLER: Okay, so can I just tie you down here - when will the next tranche of money be coming?

NICOLA ROXON: The next tranche of money we have already commenced negotiations over - the next $150 million for capital investment. That will...

HOWARD SATTLER: When would you see that being actually...

NICOLA ROXON: It will be in the following financial year, but negotiations are also underway about the health care agreements, that we hope will be signed by the 30th of June; and they are very complex negotiations that I certainly can't announce to you today...

HOWARD SATTLER: No. No. No.

NICOLA ROXON: ...how much money will be on the table, but, we are...

HOWARD SATTLER: But whatever it is, that would flow after the 30th of June would it?

NICOLA ROXON: Yes it would, that's right.

There's a range of other incentives, you know, and commitments that were made that are rolling out piece by piece - our GP super clinics, commitments we've made for nursing, a range of others - but this is the first big agreed objective between the States and the Commonwealth.

And don't forget, we signed on to some very important reporting requirements as well, that's going to make all this information more accessible to the public. And we think we will help deliver some reforms long-term...

HOWARD SATTLER: Because I think...

NICOLA ROXON: ...including equality...

HOWARD SATTLER: ...I think most people would think this was the biggest and most important commitment that your side made during the campaign; would you agree with that?

NICOLA ROXON: In terms of health generally?

HOWARD SATTLER: Yeah, no question about that. I mean, this is an issue which has been bubbling around the place for as long as I can remember; and no government, Federal or State, has been able to solve the issue. But...

NICOLA ROXON: And what, you know what is really needed - it does need more money, but it actually is one of the areas where it really has needed the governments to work together, because it's difficult. We need to change some things. We need to work differently. We need to think outside the box a bit, and you can't do that if you're beating each other over the head...

HOWARD SATTLER: Trying to score points.

NICOLA ROXON: ...blaming each other. So, we now have a very strong political objective, and it's in all of our interests - we're all Labor - we all need to make this work. And there was a real sense around the room today that their obligation having been elected, on all of us, is to fix this problem for the future.

It's a big ask. It's going to take time...

HOWARD SATTLER: Once and for all. Fix it.

NICOLA ROXON: Yep, and we know it has to be done step at a time, and this is step one, and we will be working our guts out to deliver on the rest of the package that will really make a difference long-term.

HOWARD SATTLER: Alright. Make sure the Treasurer agrees with you I'm certainly working on that.

HOWARD SATTLER: Yeah. Right. Thanks for your time. I appreciate that.

NICOLA ROXON: Thank you.

HOWARD SATTLER: Good. Nicola Roxon, the Federal Health Minister.

Ends