Posted November 08, 2019 04:32:37 The last time I checked, Australia’s primary care system was already struggling.
In the late 1990s and early 2000s, a handful of private hospitals were closing and Medicare and the state health department were struggling to meet the soaring demand for primary care.
The health system was at the mercy of a combination of rising costs and underfunded hospitals.
That meant the vast majority of Australians still did not have access to the care they needed.
It meant doctors were not trained to treat patients, and many people with chronic conditions were put in isolation, often with severe infections and illnesses.
The result was an increase in hospitalisation and death.
The crisis that would come to define the first decade of the 21st century was in some ways a wake-up call for Australian health and wellbeing.
In its wake, the national health system developed a national framework to address the problems facing Australia’s healthcare system.
But it did not achieve the reforms that were desperately needed to ensure the system was sustainable.
We’re still waiting for a system that will help patients, manage the costs of caring for those who need it most, and provide for the needs of future generations.
The story of how we got here Today, in a country that is still struggling with chronic care shortages, the federal government is set to announce its plan to overhaul the national healthcare system with a number of measures.
These include: A $1.6 billion national health fund to provide funding for primary health care services, and a new Health Insurance Guarantee for people to buy private health insurance.
