News
Media Release |
| Spokesperson: | Australian Health Ministers’ Conference |
| Date: | Monday, 10 April 2006 |
| Category: | Community Health |
| Australian and New Zealand Health Ministers met in Wellington, New Zealand today to discuss a range of key health issues and a number of these are receiving attention in both Australia and new Zealand. Amongst the issues discussed were the important long term health issues including obesity and dementia. Obesity All Ministers agreed there was a critical need to tackle the important issues of obesity in both adults and children and young people. Ministers highlighted the need for action on this issue and announced an Action Agenda to Address Overweight in Adults and Older Australians and reviewed the progress being made on the program to address the National Action Agenda for Children and Young People and Their Families (see the separate statement on this subject). At the meeting New Zealand experts presented evidence on childhood obesity to Ministers and they discussed the policy implications of effective interventions that can make a difference. Ministers were also shown practical initiatives being implemented in New Zealand schools, including the fruit in school programme, a part of Health Promoting Schools. National Framework on Dementia Looking to the future Health Ministers noted that within ten years dementia is predicted to be the major cause of disability for Australians overtaking cardiovascular disease, cancer and depression. Ministers agreed that an action program is necessary to address this health problem and endorsed a National Framework for Action on Dementia. National Bowel Cancer Screening Australian Health Ministers today agreed on the need for a National Bowel Cancer Screening Program and agreed that further discussions will take place between States and Territories and the Australian Government to ensure the effective implementation of the Program. National Scheme of Portable Medical Registration All Australian Health Ministers, meeting in Wellington today, agreed to a national scheme of portable medical registration to improve the mobility of the Australian medical workforce. Health Ministers agreed that the new arrangements would benefit the public and the medical profession by making it easier for doctors to work in more than one state or territory. This will improve consumer access to doctors across state boundaries, and thus provide more flexibility in the delivery of medical services. The portability scheme will enable a medical practitioner who has been granted portable registration by one state or territory medical board, to practise in any other state or territory in Australia without having to: �� undertake any formal (substantive) process to obtain registration, �� pay a separate application fee, or �� notify the medical boards of the other jurisdictions before commencing to practise in those jurisdictions (except where there have been conditions placed on the doctor’s registration). Portable medical registration will apply to doctors with general registration or with recognised specialist qualifications and experience in a recognised field of specialty. Overseas-trained doctors who are restricted to practising in an area of need will not have portable registration. Health Ministers endorsed proposed legislative changes for establishment of the portability scheme, and for jurisdictions to use their best endeavours to make the necessary amendments to their legislation by June 2007. |
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