PM faces the music on hospitals

The prime minister and the health minister have been told to fix the nation's
struggling health system, after being confronted by health industry figures in
Melbourne.

The lack of planning that had gone into ensuring Australia had enough health workers
was "a disgrace", Prime Minister Kevin Rudd said during a visit to Melbourne's
Northern Hospital with Health Minister Nicola Roxon on Friday.
The pair was speaking to health professionals as part of a series of hospital visits
around Australia to get feedback on the National Health and Hospitals Commission's
report that proposes a partial commonwealth takeover of health care.
However, rather than the Northern's doctors and nurses, it was figures from peak
industry bodies such as the Australian Medical Association (AMA) and VicHealth who
dominated the questions in the packed lecture theatre.
They applauded the aims of the report's 123 recommendations and its multi-billion
dollar plan to fix the system but said implementing it would be difficult.
The report suggests lifting the proportion of health funds spent on prevention of
disease from the current rate of two per cent.
But VicHealth associate professor John Fitzgerald said there was no point lifting
the rate unless the public was given more encouragement to change unhealthy habits,
such as smoking and drinking.
"We need more balance in the messages people are given and some tax reform around
alcohol and tobacco," he said.
The AMA's Victorian policy director Ben Harris and chief executive of
Melbourne-based Dianella Health, Mark Sullivan, said they were worried a
commonwealth health takeover would kill innovation in state hospitals, leading to
standardisation and mediocrity.
Mr Rudd countered that he believed the states could replicate each other's best
ideas "pulling each other up rather than down".
The major health issues facing Australians were its ageing population and related
issues of chronic disease and hospital waiting lists, which would damage economic
productivity but could be tackled with policies preventing poor health, Mr Rudd
said.
He warned the reforms would cost taxpayers from $2.8 billion to $5.7 billion before
savings start in a decade.
"It is an absolute disgrace in respect to planning for health workforce numbers," he
told staff at the hospital.
"One thing that's hit us between the eyeballs wherever we go is the fact that there
is an almost universal chorus for better planning for the training of nurses,
doctors and allied health professionals."
He also announced Victoria would get three new GP super clinics providing primary
health care at Portland, South Morang and Wodonga.
Coalition opposition health and ageing spokesman Peter Dutton accused Mr Rudd of
setting up six months of consultations to stall on making a decision.
"The prime minister has shirked his commitment to fix hospitals by mid-year and is
now stalling for another six months.
"The prime minister's nationwide consultations are nothing more than an exercise in
PR-spin and photo opportunities."