Fed: Howard praises health system and commits to Medicare
By John Sheed
BRISBANE, April 7 AAP - Australia's mix of public and private health systems was superiorto anything in the rest of the world, Prime Minister John Howard said today.
He said the government was committed to maintaining the dual system and to strengtheningthe public health system through the maintenance of Medicare.
Mr Howard was opening a $37 million redevelopment of Australia's largest private healthfacility, Greenslopes Private Hospital in Brisbane.
The hospital, developed as a military hospital in 1942, later became a specialist hospitalfor war veterans, until the Commonwealth sold it to a private company, Ramsey Health Care,in 1995.
The hospital continues to care for veterans and their families under special arrangementswith the Department of Veterans Affairs.
Mr Howard said the redeveloped hospital now stood as a demonstration of the country'svigorous private health system.
But he said the government was committed to maintaining the public health system, includingthe 85 per cent Medicare rebate on scheduled doctors' fees, access to free treatment atpublic hospitals and the pharmaceutical benefits scheme.
"They are the three pillars of the universal Medicare system and they are going tobe maintained fully by this government," Mr Howard said.
The strength of the Australian health system was that a vigorous private sector operatedalongside the public system, he said.
It was a system that was superior than that of the United States or the national healthsystem in Britain.
"Of course we don't have a perfect system and we have a lot of imperfections," Mr Howard said.
"The truth is, however, that compared with the health systems of nations that we wouldlike to compare ourselves with, ours is superior."
Mr Howard said the government remained strongly committed to maintaining Medicare bulkbilling and was having talks with the medical profession on measures designed to ensureits availability.
"A person on average income is better protected by the health system in Australia thanhe or she is for example in the United States," he said.
AAP jfs/sc/wjf/jlw
KEYWORD: HOWARD HEALTH NIGHTLEAD (PIX AVAILABLE)
No comments:
Post a Comment