A submission to the Productivity Commission has brought attention to where the government is slacking on preventive health.
From preventive health to team-based care, the AMA unloaded a double barrel shot of reform calls with a statement on the economic power of Australian healthcare and a submission to the Productivity Commission.
The submission outlines the potential downfalls of failing the meet the increasing pressure caused by preventable hospitalisations and chronic disease.
This has been attributed to a disconnect between the government and the healthcare sector, with the AMA claiming that the government continues “to view healthcare as a cost to be managed, rather than an investment to be made in Australia’s future”.
Pressure is now mounting on the government with over 780,00 Australian workers now aged 65 and over, a 50% increase over the last decade.
The AMA has backed the Productivity Commission’s recommendation to implement a National Prevention Investment Framework that would function as an evidence-based funding mechanism for preventive health programs.
“Health is already a big investment, and we’ve got to make sure that … [it is] genuinely seen as an investment,” AMA president Dr Danielle McMullen told The Medical Republic.
“A lot of governments, both state and federal, see it as a cost, as a drain on their systems.
“The health workforce is really important to keeping the rest of our workforce healthy, and investing in the population’s health is really important to our overall productivity as a country.
“The best bang for buck there is, is in the prevention and early intervention space, because we all know that prevention is better than cure.”
Current government spending for preventive health only accounts for 2.3% of total health funding, setting Australia well below the OECD averages.
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The AMA is now pushing for this funding to reach 5% by 2030.
“Governments must look beyond three- or four-year election cycles and commit to long-term preventive health funding,” Dr McMullen said
“We are also calling for greater investment in general practice to support longer consultations, allowing GPs to spend more time with patients to manage increasingly complex chronic health conditions.
“This would help reduce hospitalisations and keep Australians healthier for longer.”
Team-based care has been touted as a key element to ensuring efficient and sustainable preventive care via streamlined workload distribution.
“This really centres around general practice and primary care,” Dr McMullen told TMR.
“Sounds like a broken record, but prevention is better than a cure, and investing in that prevention and early intervention space is having GPS be central to that.
“That community primary care is where we drive those health improvements for later on, if we can work effectively as a team.”
