Anyone battling cancer will understand how the current shortage of oncology specialists throughout Australia impacts upon their treatment.
Even patients with private health insurance expect to wait hours to see
their specialist at scheduled appointment times. Funding for million
dollar cancer centres is all well and good, but cancer patients and
their families agree that the most important part of treatment is the
specialist/patient relationship. With a small number of oncology
specialists stretched to the limit, the patient to practitioner ratio
urgently needs to be addressed.
The AMA estimates that in the long term $125 million and $250 million
is required per year to support specialist training. (The Commonwealth
currently funds $60 million to specialist training).
This topic is of particular personal interest and importance, as a
close family member has been struggling with cancer and over the past 7
years I have experienced the dire shortage of professionals first hand.
I asked the candidates for Brisbane what their party's policies were in
relation to the current shortage of oncology specialists in Australia,
specifically relating to actual doctors and nurses - not screening
machines, funding for pharmaceutical companies or awareness campaigns.
Greens candidate Elizabeth Guthrie said, "The Greens believe
governments are ultimately responsible for ensuring all people have
access to the resources and opportunities required for good health.
Whilst we do not have a specific policy relating directly to Oncology
(or any other specific services) our health care policy statements
highlight the overall requirement for more and better health care
services across the board.
"The Greens are acutely aware that people with cancer often spend
relatively long periods in hospital awaiting investigations and often
treatments. We believe this is time that could, with proper care and
management be better spent at home with loved ones. Through their
disability policy the Greens are committed to providing partners,
relatives and friends who act as carers with eligibility for
registration as professional carers and adequate support, including
income and respite.
"The Greens have a strong commitment to improving service access,
service efficiency and outpatient alternatives and is the only party
with strong commitments to the holistic, quality of life aspects of
care."
Democrats candidate Don Sinnamon said, "Firstly - there's a shortage of
doctors nationwide that needs to be addressed through more fully-funded
places at university for both doctors and nurses. The government
should also be funding additional places for specialist training onsite
in hospitals and clinics in the oncology area, as well as many others
that are understaffed.
"Specialist services need to be supported - not just through trying to
get more specialist doctors, but more support for allied health and
nurse practitioners, which would free up the specialist doctors to
provide a broader consultative service and insure that patients are
getting the best care that addresses their individual needs.
"We don't agree with the Government's current push to take over small
hospitals on an ad hoc basis - it's unrealistic to expect that local
hospitals will each be able to provide the full range of specialist
services - there needs to be a larger scale tackling of the problem,
taking in regional needs and services."
Liberal candidate Ted O'Brien and sitting Labor member Arch Bevis did
not respond to my question (which I asked a month ago), so I consulted
the party websites to find out what their policies are.
In October, the Liberal Party announced that a re-elected Coalition
government will invest $37 million to double the number of training
places for medical specialists in private hospitals and surgeries to
300 each year by 201, while the ALP announced $15 million of funding in
independent clinical trials, drugs and research into cancer treatment,
$30 million toward the Olivia Newton-John cancer centre in Melbourne
and $50 million for a comprehensive cancer centre in Sydney.
As was reported on Saturday's 'At The Local' on radio station 4ZzZ, Mr
O'Brien will not be appearing at Tuesday evening's "Politics In The
Pub" at the Brunswick Hotel in New Farm. All other candidates for
Brisbane will be participating in this community forum - including the
sitting member Arch Bevis - but then New Farm isn't exactly enemy
territory for the Minister for Homeland Security!
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