Greens lead Senate candidate for Queensland, Larissa Waters has launched the Greens rural health policy in Bundaberg today with the Greens candidate for Hinkler, Charles Dickes..
Last week the National Rural Health Alliance gave the Greens top marks
for its policies to improve the health of Australians in rural,
regional and remote areas, including a national health plan, better
health infrastructure for small towns, improved mental health services
and investment in oral and dental health.
"The Greens are committed to
delivering better health services for Australians living in rural and
remote areas, including for Indigenous Australians," said Ms
Waters.
"The Howard government has announced $100 billion in tax cuts in
the past three years, but it has not found the money for more hospital
beds, nurses, doctors or dentists for the millions of Australians who
do not live in cities.
"The Greens will scrap the $3.5 billion private
health insurance rebate, which has failed to take the pressure off
public hospitals, and re-invest that money in public health and
hospitals.The Greens would also pool Federal, State and Local health
care resources into a National Health Fund administered by a National
Health Reform Commission.
"Our policy focuses on increasing the number
of well funded multipurpose community health care centres and services
in regional, rural, and remote Australia.
"Ensuring that such centres provide GPs and nurses, dentists,
immunisation, midwifery, physiotheraphy, occupational therapy and
counselling would improve the current health inequities that exist for
Australians living in rural areas.
The Greens health care strategy essentially will take the burden of
care off over-stretched and under-resourced hospitals and implement
community-based options."The Greens focus on preventive healthcare
saves lives and money.
“The Government must shoulder some of the blame on critical health
shortfalls because it seriously restricted medical and nursing student
places in 1996, soon after being elected.
“We need to put some serious
money into recruiting GPs to regional and rural areas. Properly funding
general practice will take the pressure off our overcrowded public
hospitals and will save money in the long run.
“We need an urgent
increase in rural medical and nursing student places and we need
financial incentives to recruit health professionals.
"While Labor and
the Coalition promise tax cuts, The Greens want to see an investment in
our public health care system so it can provide top quality care for
all Australians regardless of where they live or their capacity to pay.
"Australia's fortunes have never been greater, yet rural health care
has never been in a more dire need of funding," concluded Ms Waters.
The NRHA election scorecard can be found at www.ruralhealth.org.au
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