Health infrastructure vital at COAG

As COAG meets today to address the nation’s infrastructure needs, it must include examination of the health system’s capacity to meet the future needs of the community.

AMA President, Dr Rosanna Capolingua, said with the Federal Budget less than two weeks away, the $5bn currently available in the health and hospital fund should be immediately released as part of the infrastructure stimulus.

“As importantly, the human infrastructure for the health system, in particular the training of more doctors, needs to be accelerated. This is something all levels of government can, and should, do.

“As recent events have demonstrated, a well-prepared, properly resourced and responsive health system is vital to the nation’s security and to the confidence the community has in the way government’s sensibly invest in the well-being of citizens.

“This must include appropriate and ever increasing support of our public hospital system. This is not the time for government to put even more pressure on public hospitals by removing or means testing the 30 percent private health insurance rebate.”