Page 190 - Week 01 - Wednesday, 10 February 2010
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analysis provided is that if those people could be treated either in their homes or in residential age centres, the cost would move from $1,000 a day to $126 a day. That is the sort of initiative that we need to see.
The key results that I believe that would arise from this sort of approach are greater prevention of illness and the treatment of people earlier in their illness, which would actually result in a healthier society. A stronger focus on prevention, detection and early treatment will ultimately provide cost savings and reduce the pressure on our already stretched hospital system. Better coordination and use of all health resources in the ACT, including better use of technologies such as e-health, would put the patient at the centre of the system.
I have provided evidence in the paper that changing the way we deliver health care in the ACT can make the costs of health more sustainable. We do need to increase the capacity of our hospitals, but I believe that a shift away from a hospital-centric system to a system with preventive and primary health care at its foundation could be more efficient. Indeed, Jon Menadue, who has conducted reviews of both the New South Wales and the South Australian health systems, found:
The evidence is clear that countries with a strong primary care have lower overall costs and generally have healthier populations, especially where there is a higher primary care physician availability.
My views are not out of sync with national trends. Federal health minister Nicola Roxon, in an address to the Australian Self Medication Industry on 13 November, said:
We are concerned that in our health system pretty much all roads lead fairly quickly to the hospital … We believe that our system needs to have ... some shorter roads that lead to other options and other appropriate services.
This stands in stark contrast, I believe, to Jon Stanhope and his position within the ACT government. I was very disappointed, I must say, with the response that was provided by Jon Stanhope to the introduction of this paper. I think that this paper does raise a number of very useful ideas. I would hope that many of the trends that I suggest would be agreed to by the government and also by the crossbench.
Ms Gallagher: Well, considering there is nothing new in the paper, Jeremy, I think you are probably right.
MR HANSON: Well, if the minister says there is nothing new in the paper, I do not, then, understand why the Chief Minister felt the need to attack it. The Canberra Liberals have done the hard work to prepare a detailed, positive strategy for the way forward. Jon Stanhope actually responded with an untruthful comment by saying that this was some plan to cut hospital beds. I will quote from the paper:
There is a shortage of public hospital beds in the ACT and the Canberra Liberals are committed to the process of expanding the capacity of our hospitals.
Ms Gallagher: Thanks to the Liberals, who cut 114 beds from the system.
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