25 January 2008 - 1 February 2008 Volume: 18 Issue: 2 Cricket ...

Volume 18 Issue: 2
25 January 2008 - 1 February 2008
How Ms Roxon will attempt to give this portfolio the status it deserves is
anybody’s guess. We’ve seen a new Sun Smart campaign launch recently, with a
promise of spending. And funding for youth mental health.
But it is unlikely that Labor will be able to get away with the line many politicians
used on health during the last election campaign. A strong economy — in other
words, high spending on health — will not necessarily ensure a quality healthcare
system. How funding is spent is, obviously, the critical issue.
In the United States, more money is spent on health per capita than anywhere else
in the world. Yet the health outcomes achieved are comparable to those achieved by
Costa Rica. What makes a healthcare system great is, generally, equity and fairness.
That’s why the life-expectancy of a Cuban is the same as that of an American. In
Cuba, healthcare is practised at the community level and is readily available.
In addition, a strong emphasis on medical research, and effective public health
campaigns, are very important. If Ms Roxon is not committed to widespread reform,
it is measures like these that she must promote. First, however, she must address
Australia’s single greatest health policy failure: indigenous health. While
non-indigenous Australians are as healthy as anyone else in the first-world,
indigenous health is comparable to Ethiopia and Zimbabwe in some key indicators.
There’s no excuse for this. It must cease, if not for ethical reasons, for the fact that it is
holding back Australia’s healthcare system.
Nicola Roxon must put health back on the national agenda. She might start by
letting us know who she really is. Importantly, she must tell us why health deserves
to be the number one issue in all political and social discussion.
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