News
Health Budget Notable For Its Ommissions |
| Spokesperson: | AMA Queensland |
| Date: | Wednesday, 10 May 2006 |
| Category: | State Health News |
| AMA Queensland has welcomed the Federal Government’s $1.9 billion mental health injection but has said the portfolio’s funding failed to address a number of other big issues. AMA Queensland President Dr Steve Hambleton said the health budget was more notable for what it was missing than what it delivered. “Despite the much needed funding boost to mental health under COAG there is no provision for better co-operation between the Federal Government and the states,” Dr Hambleton said. “Public hospitals have basically been ignored. “We are disappointed not to see any money for nursing home beds, which would free up public hospital beds and alleviate some of the burden on our overstretched system,” he said. Dr Hambleton said the Government’s commitment to indigenous health was also disappointing. “We need significant reform in this area so that we have less red tape and more funding if we are going to begin to improve the standard of indigenous health. AMA Queensland said it supported the creation of 400 new medical student places but said the initiative did not go far enough. “New doctors need academics to teach them,” Dr Hambleton said. “Our universities are rapidly losing their academics who lack incentives, financial and otherwise, to remain in the education system. “There is no point having more students if you can’t also guarantee the teachers to train them. “This initiative is short sighted – there is nothing in the budget to improve academic salaries to train the next generation,” he said. “There is not a great deal of commitment in this budget to the long term planning and infrastructure that our health system so desperately needs,” Dr Hambleton said. |
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