bobbythefap1 wrote on Feb 1^st, 2012 at 10:46am:

Money comes from resources!!

Very interesting point regarding the budget was raised on   "The drum" last night.

Health makes up a massive proportion of the government budget, so any talk of budget cuts MUST include health, yet no politician talks about health budget cuts, and Abbott actually talks about increasing health expenditure in the same breath as budget cuts which is physically impossible.

The girl on the show said the biggest hurdle to heath is the lack of doctors in Australia.  Absolutely spot on the money if you ask me. Doctors hold the country to ransom, I doubt there is a more protected workforce in Australia. 
Immediately double the number of university places for doctors, and lower the entry marks required.   Fast track foreign doctors into the GP ranks with conversion courses.

Why isnt this being done?!

Health Care For Refugees And Asylum Seekers

Over 50 000 refugees or asylum seekers have entered the Australian community over the past five years. This immigration flow is beginning to bring regular challenges to Australian medical practitioners in terms of health service provision for asylum seekers and refugees in detention and in the Australian community. A review and development of health care policies and standards of health care delivery for all refugees and asylum seekers is necessary.

[...]

The evidence base on health problems of refugees and asylum seekers in Australia is thin, due to the lack of research being funded in this area of population health. Many refugees are in good health and are seeking to positively engage with the new society in which they find themselves. Other refugees arrive with, or develop, a range of health care needs. In addition to the range of complaints similar to those of the rest of the Australian population, the following health problems are likely to be common amongst refugees:

* psychological disorders such as post traumatic stress disorder, anxiety, depression and psychosomatic disorders
  * direct physical consequences of torture such as musculoskeletal pain or deafness
  * under recognised and under managed hypertension, diabetes and chronic pain
  *  poor oral health, a result of poor nutrition and diet, lack of fluoridated water, poor dental hygiene practices and limited dental care in the past
  * infectious diseases including TB and intestinal parasites
  * delayed growth or development in children.

[...]

http://www.racgp.org.au/refugeehealth

Fact Sheet 91 – Translating and Interpreting Service (TIS) National




Overview

The Department of Immigration and Citizenship operates an interpreting service called the Translating and Interpreting Service (TIS) National.

[...]

TIS National provides a 24 hour, seven days a week telephone interpreting service to all states and territories in Australia and has access to interpreters speaking more than 170 languages and dialects.

[...]

TIS National has established priority telephone lines for emergency service organisations, some parts of the department, and medical practitioners in private practice.

TIS National contact centre routinely handles 3500–4500 calls per business day. During 2009–10, the highest demand languages were Mandarin, Arabic, Vietnamese, Cantonese, Korean, Persian, Turkish, Spanish, Greek and Dari.

http://www.immi.gov.au/media/fact-sheets/91tis.htm

It is never ending:

Quote:


Your money at work.

Asylum seekers made almost 60,000 doctor visits last year

IMMIGRATION detainees made almost 60,000 doctor visits last year, pushing the cost of providing health care for asylum seekers to almost $120 million a year.

The level of treatment was almost double the average number of visits by Australians to the doctor and ranged from minor ailments to trauma and torture counselling.

While 14,976 visits were for mental health issues, the majority were for minor GP consultations, which totalled 21,854, while a further 12,508 were for psychological and psychiatric treatments. About 2500 visits were for dental and optical services.

The high rate of medical care prompted the opposition to accuse the government of providing a "private Medicare service" for asylum seekers.

Documents revealed that, at Christmas Island alone, GPs delivered 18,040 consultations between July 2010 and June 2011. The total figure for all centres across the country was 58,266, putting the average number of visits by detainees at 10 a year or once every five weeks.

The apparent high rate of medical care required was almost double the average 6.3 visits made every year by Australians to their doctors.

The Department of Immigration confirmed the new contract for the International Health and Medical Service - responsible for the health needs of detainees - was $91.82 million for 2010-2011.

[...]

http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/national/asylum-seekers-made-almost-60000-doctor-visits-last-year/story-e6freuzr-1226261309123