Page 2210 - Week 11 - Tuesday, 31 October 1989
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lead a fuller life and have improved quality of life. The Minister has shown by his example of Mrs Ruby Rawlings' case how effective this scheme can be.
In conclusion, my party welcomes the Medicare incentive program as no doubt it has the potential in the long term to diminish the cost burden of health care to the community as a whole. I would like to add that perhaps this money saved could be better spent on and made available to other health programs which are in need.
MR BERRY (Minister for Community Services and Health) (3.34), in reply: The Medicare incentive program provides valued services for the people of the ACT in all of those areas which previous speakers have mentioned and which I mentioned in my ministerial statement some time ago.
I would like briefly to go over some of those issues which are dealt with in the program to finish off the debate today. The Medicare agreement provides funding for post-acute, palliative care and day surgery initiatives. I think they are important matters for the people of Canberra. The total sum made available to the ACT was $449,000.
The broad aims of the incentive package are to utilise more effectively existing hospital resources. Ms Maher referred to that in relation to the early discharge program when she spoke just a moment ago. That comes about as a result of reducing the length of stay in hospitals and improving the availability of services.
The home based palliative care program is very important for the ACT. With no hospice facilities in the ACT, although a matter for later consideration, I am sure, the home based palliative care program provides the only non-hospital choice for terminally ill persons. Demand is high and exceeds the capacity of the existing program. As has been said, that program operates from Calvary Hospital. The case load is limited to 18 to 20 persons, and in an average year about 110 clients are cared for by the program. The expanded program will enable the case load to rise to 25 clients, about 140 a year, and it will increase by the equivalent of 3.2 staff, plus vehicles and equipment.
Current resource constraints mean that only cancer patients are accepted into the program. The program expansion, as was announced, will allow persons suffering from other conditions to be cared for. This program also allows for cost savings in the hospital sector by reducing length of stay but at the same time providing desirable and first quality care for those clients.
The day surgery program in relation to intraocular lens implants related to about 100 mainly elderly Medicare patients who were awaiting eye surgery to restore their vision. The application of the Medicare incentive program
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