Page 495 - Week 02 - Wednesday, 5 March 2008
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know what poor standards of health care are all about. It is very unfair on everybody involved in health in the ACT to use such outrageous descriptors as to refer to the ACT health standards as being reflective of third world health.
It is absolute nonsense that gets into the public’s mind and that panics people when they have to turn up with their children or a senior parent who needs emergency care and they hear those sort of messages. That reflects terribly badly on the staff. Of course, in the ultimate instance, it reflects very badly on the member for saying those sorts of things in this place. I would hope that the opposition leader would counsel her about the foolishness of making such stupid, extreme assessments about our health system.
The minister made light of the fact that the use of services are growing at six per cent but it was only predicted there would be a three per cent growth. We were not treated to any explanation as to why the predictions and the forecasts utilised were so off the money. It is very important to get these projections right. People in the field of health care certainly would not subscribe to a three per cent growth in direction, and we have to be realistic in our forecasts. Obviously the challenge becomes how you fund those anticipated levels in growth in demand for services.
There has also been some fair mention by the minister and Ms MacDonald over the issue of utilisation. The fact is that there are more people utilising the services, but that, in itself, is not a simple defence for why we are under pressure. One has to look at the factors, and Dr Foskey made some reference to issues related to GPs. I do not actually think the territory government is the one that is responsible for that problem. I think the problem was created about 28 years ago in the commonwealth when they decided to get a bit clever about reducing a number of medical school places. Doctors tell me this and I believe them. We are now paying a very heavy price in terms of the lack of GPs in our community.
Other issues have arisen—the sea change model, the issues of liability, people want more leisure time—but we do, in fact, as a country, have ourselves nationally to blame for having created this problem, and it will take years to rectify it. It will take more people in medical schools now, and we will need to accept the fact that there are going to be difficulties for decades as a consequence of this lack of vision and poor planning at the commonwealth level in terms of funding for places in medical schools. That is one factor that is contributing to utilisation.
Another factor is the fact that people just like to save money. If you go down to the Phillip medical centre, you will see the place overflowing into the streets, and I think there are 12 or 18 doctors down there. If you can get bulk-billing, people go for that option. I do not think people always go there because they cannot afford to pay more; I think it suits people. But that does put pressure on services, and the temptation is to use the hospital facilities in circumstances that may not always warrant emergency care. You cannot make that decision here and now, and it is certainly not a position that is easily addressed in my view.
A couple of other points: I am sorry Mrs Burke has bolted in the middle of this debate because she was fairly forthright in her patronising approach to my remarks. She said
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