Author: Team

Record Spend from Labor to Reduce Surgery Waiting Times

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[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Opposition Leader Bill Shorten has pledged to drastically reduce hospital waiting times for essential surgeries needed by Australian patients. Declaring procedures such as knee and hip replacements or cataract surgeries should not be deemed elective but considered essential surgeries.

Data collected by the Australian Government’s biennial report, Australia’s health 2018, showed the medium wait times for cataract surgery at 85 days and medium wait times for knee replacements at 193 days.

Labor has stated that the average wait time for elective surgery has increased by more than 10 per cent since the Government was elected in 2013.

The report has also emphasised the wait times for Indigenous-Australians’ cataract surgery at 130 days and knee replacement at 251 days. Overall Indigenous-Australia’s have longer median waiting times than other Australians for elective surgery with 45 days compared to 38 days.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]

National Women’s Health Strategy 2020-2030

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[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]The $50 million will be split into:

  • $20 million for research to help Australian women in their fight against ovarian cancer with a focus on early detection.
  • $10 million for endometriosis
  • $5 million to Jean Hailes for Women’s Health for the continuation of its National Women’s Health Initiative
  • $9 million investment for drug and alcohol rehabilitation program
  • $1.3 million for an intensive support service to support families following stillbirth
  • $4 million for reproductive and family planning organisations
  • $1.5 million over three years for local women’s health promotion grants

Minister for Health, Greg Hunt, has outlined that Australian women on the whole enjoy long, healthy lives, with a current average life expectancy of 85 for those born in recent years. However, stating relatively long-life expectancy disguises a large element of avoidable ill-health and inequitable outcomes between different groups.

Minister Hunt had also previously announced the investment of $32 million so breast cancer patients, who are largely women, can have MRI and PET scans covered under Medicare.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]

The AMA Releases Outline for Key Health Issues in Upcoming Federal Election

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[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]The document is a summary of the major health issues that the AMA considers must be addressed by the major parties during the election campaign and into the next term of government, whichever party wins.

The AMA President, Dr Tony Bartone, stated when he released the document that health policy will be a vital factor in the outcome of the 2019 Federal Election. Dr Bartone was quoted, “health policy influence votes at every election, and doctors are very good judges of health policy.”

The report outlines the key issues in health to be:

  • General Practice and primary care;
  • Public hospitals;
  • A futureproofed Medicare;
  • Medical care for older Australians;
  • Private health;
  • Diagnostic imaging;
  • Pathology;
  • Task substitution;
  • Mental health;
  • Asylum seeker and refugee health;
  • Climate change and health;
  • Indigenous health;
  • Prevention;
  • Obesity;
  • Alcohol;
  • Tobacco;
  • Addiction;
  • Immunisation;
  • Rural health;
  • Medical workforce; and
  • Supporting GP training

With special emphasis on ensuring the next government to renew its commitment to prevention. Stating in their report that as a nation, more needs to be done to educate people to adjust their lifestyles to improve their health. Requiring a nationally-coordinated education and information programs, and cooperation and coordination across all levels of government.

The AMA is the most influential membership organisation representing registered medical practitioners and medical students of Australia. The body will urge the major parties to adopt the policies and recommendations outlined in the document.

The full report can be found on the Official AMA Website (www.ama.com.au)[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]

Catherine King – Australia’s Alternative Health Minister

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[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]With the possibility of a change of government in Canberra, it’s a timely opportunity to look at Australia’s alternative Health Minister, the Hon. Catherine King MP.

The next Federal Minister for Health will walk into a portfolio that has an annual budget of close to $100 billion they will be expected to manage. From approving medicines to list on the PBS and approving prostheses that satisfy the criteria for the Prostheses List, to negotiating with State and Territory Health Ministers for the 1,300 hospitals in Australia, an incoming Health Minister will be entering a broad and complex sector.

Born in Melbourne, Victoria King holds a Bachelor of Social Work from RMIT, a Master of Arts (Public Policy) from ANU, and a Bachelor of Laws from Deakin University. Impressively, King completed her Bachelor of Laws while serving as a Member of Parliament.

Following university, King worked in Ballarat as a social worker at the Children’s Homes and Family Service, before pursuing her strong sense of public service in Canberra where she worked with the then Department of Health and Aged Care as an assistant director and later as director. King has also worked in the private sector as a consultant with KMPG before running for parliament.

Following the 2001 Federal Election, King was elected to represent the seat of Ballarat, where she succeeded Michael Ronaldson to become the first woman to represent Ballarat in the Federal Parliament.

Not long after entering parliament, King was promoted to serve as Labor’s Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Regional Development in 2004, and, in 2005, was promoted again to the position of Shadow Parliamentary Secretary to the Treasurer.

After the 2010 Federal Election, which saw the Gillard Government form a minority government, King was elevated to the ministry serving in a number of roles including Parliamentary Secretary for Infrastructure and Transport, and Parliamentary Secretary for Health and Ageing.

In March 2013, Catherine King was again promoted, this time as a Minister responsible for Regional Services, Local Communities and Territories, and Minister for Road Safety in the Gillard Government. After Labor’s leadership change from Julia Gillard back to Kevin Rudd, King was appointed to Cabinet in July 2013 as Minister for Regional Australia, Local Government and Territories.

After the Coalition’s electoral victory in the 2013 Federal Election, King was appointed by Opposition Leader Bill Shorten to serve as Labor’s Shadow Minister for Health, a position she has held ever since.

King has previously stated that, if she were to become Australia’s next Federal Health Minister, her biggest focus would be addressing the growing burden of chronic disease in Australia, primary care reform and health equity.

Speaking at the George Institute Australia to an audience of over 150 stakeholders from across the healthcare sector, King said “around 7 million Australians have a chronic condition and nearly 90 per cent of premature deaths have a chronic disease as an underlying cause. The cost to the health systems is many billions of dollars. And prevention – as we all know – is the key to reducing much of that burden.”

King went on to say “a strong primary care system which includes a focus on protection, health promotion, disease prevention and early detection of those at high risk is critical to addressing chronic disease. An older population with higher rates of chronic disease means Australians will need more care and different types of it.”

If elected, Opposition Leader Shorten and Shadow Minister King have committed to establishing a permanent policy-making body called the Australian Health Reform Commission. The Commission will build on Health Care Homes and the MBS Review to give the government a realistic and detailed appraisal of how to achieve primary care reform.

In time, King wants the Commission to occupy a similar place in Australia’s institutional landscape, just as the Productivity Commission does now.

With health shaping up to become a key battleground for the election and considered to be a bread and butter topic for the Opposition, voters can expect to see more big spending commitments from both parties during the election campaign.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]

Victorian Government Orders Record Flu Vaccinations

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[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]The 2019 flu season has already recorded triple the amount of diagnosed cases than compared with the same time last year. With many fearing another 2017 season that saw more than 48,000 Victorians diagnosed with influenza.

Free vaccinations will be available to anyone in these categories under the National Immunisation Program:

  • Pregnant women
  • Aboriginal Torres Strait Islander people
  • Anyone with a chronic condition
  • Under the age of 5 or over the age of 65

With Victoria’s Minister for Health Jenny Mikakos urging, “You never forget the flu, so don’t forget your flu shot. Coming down with the flu is not like catching a cold. It hits you quickly and hard, and it can last for weeks. And for some people, it can be deadly.”

Flu symptoms can include a sudden high fever, headache, body aches and feeling extremely weak or tired. For children, the elderly or people with a weakened immune system, the flu can have devastating outcomes.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]

New Device Created to Help Assist in the Severity of Parkinson’s

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[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Attached to the patient’s hand in what resembles a bionic hand, the device utilises a tiny motor to bend the patient’s middle finger repetitively over a period of 30 seconds. With the objective to measure any muscle stiffness, this is then recorded and can be sent to the patients GP.

A stiff the finger can indicate the more advanced the disease, as muscle stiffness is considered one of the first early warning signs of Parkinson’s.

Dr Thushara Perera, Research Fellow at the Bionics Institute and inventor of the BiRD, said the device not only offers a simple diagnosis in an otherwise complicated condition, but may also one day help monitor patients where they need it most—in their own homes.

“In the future, patients may be able to use the BiRD at home to monitor their own health and provide a report to their doctor, just like a blood glucose monitor for diabetics. This will help their doctor decide how to give the best treatment to their patients, including which medications to administer.”[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]

IT’S A DATE

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[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]The 46th Parliament will be contested in 151 seats, up from 150 at the last election due to the Australian Electoral Commission adding an extra seat as a result of electoral redistributions in various states and population shifts.

In the Senate, 40 Senators will be facing the polls being 6 from each state and 2 each from the ACT and NT.

The Senate election is a half-Senate election and those Senators that were elected for 3-year terms in 2016 now face the polls again.

With retirements and alike, there will be quite a number of new faces in both the House of Representatives and the Senate.

WHAT TO EXPECT

Unlike the 2016 election, expect this election to be a bare-knuckle brawl between Scott Morrison and Bill Shorten.

Both are experienced politicians and campaigners.  Shorten is battle-hardened after 6 years as Opposition Leader and surviving the Royal Commission into Trade Unions, established by Tony Abbott early in his tenure.

Scott Morrison became the Liberals’ 3rd Prime Minister in as many years, and inherited a party torn by both ideological differences and personality conflicts – battles he has been fighting from day one.  A lesser leader might have already been destroyed by such challenges.

Morrison also brings his experience as a former NSW Liberal Party director to the fore. He knows how campaigns work and how they are run.

It is fair to say neither leader will leave any stone unturned in their pursuit of The Lodge.

WHERE WILL IT BE WON AND LOST

Queensland is the battleground state, followed by NSW and Victoria.

Of the Government’s 13 most marginal seats, 7 alone are in Queensland held by a margin of 3% or less and 3 are held in NSW on a margin of 1.3% or less.

With Labor needing to win 5 seats to form government, they could do so simply by winning key seats in Queensland, while making no gains in any other state.

For the LNP, they need a swing to them and net gain of 4 seats to retain government.  They cannot afford to lose even one seat.

Some Interesting Seats to Watch

Warringah held by Tony Abbott is under threat from former Olympic skier Zali Steggall.  If Tony Abbott’s primary vote falls below 45% on May 18, he will be in trouble.  In 2016 he polled 51%.

Wentworth is held by Kerryn Phelps.  Malcolm Turnbull’s former seat was lost with a near 20% swing. The Liberals’ Dave Sharma will be fighting hard to reclaim that seat. This will be a fascinating contest. Will Turnbull campaign for Sharma or continue to criticise from the sidelines?

Cowper is an open seat following the retirement of Nationals MP Luke Hartsuyker. What makes this seat interesting is former high-profile and independent MP, Rob Oakeshott, is attempting a political comeback, going head-to-head with the Nationals.[/vc_column_text][vc_zigzag][vc_row_inner][vc_column_inner width=”1/4″][vc_single_image image=”1915″ img_size=”full”][/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner width=”3/4″][vc_column_text]

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Jody Fassina is the Managing Director of Insight Strategy and has served as a strategic adviser to MedTech and pharmaceutical stakeholders.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column_inner][/vc_row_inner][/vc_column][/vc_row]

Another Drug Added to the PBS As Health Becomes A Key Battleground in the Election

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[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]The drug Vimpat® (lacosamide) will be extended to include treatment of intractable partial epileptic seizures for children aged four to 15 years, in combination with two or more anti-epileptic medicines. The medicine is designed to assist with brain chemicals that send signals to nerves that affect the possibility of seizure.

There are approximately 14,000 children aged 15 years and under with partial onset seizures and this medicine will help 870 children per year who have trouble in controlling their epilepsy and seizures.

The medication is designed to stop children whom suffer seizures that affect only one part of the brain and they experience inadequate seizure control with currently available anti-epileptic drugs.

The medicine will be available on the PBS from 1st of May 2019.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]

Peak Body Seeking Participants for Updated Code

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[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]The Medical Technology Association of Australia is seeking participants for the 2019 Medical Technology industry Code of Practice.

Dates for the updated review are the 11th March 2019 til the 31st May 2019.

Framework for the review will be based upon setting standards of behaviour, educating Companies in the agreed standards, monitoring Industry activities, and providing self-regulation and disciplinary functions.

The code was first introduced in 2001 and was devised to formalise the ethical business practises for the member companies the MTAA represents. The aim of the code is in promoting high standards across the Medical Technology Industry, so patients can have full confidence in the industry and the products that are offered.

If you would like to be involved send an email to code@mtaa.org.au to organise participation.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]

Measles Outbreaks On The Rise

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[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]The accepted vaccinated rate for community immunity is 95%, however currently there are only 93.5% of 2-year-old children in Australia that have received their required two doses of measles vaccination.

Year to date there had already been 83 measles notifications in 2019, compared with 103 for the whole of 2018 and 81 for the whole of 2017.

The Australian Academy of Science has been left with the task of developing and distributing material that will aim to raise awareness amongst individuals and health professionals about the risks of measles and the importance of being fully vaccinated against the disease.

The promotion will be primarily through online channels and through engagement through media channels.

The four videos will focus on:

  • A measles explainer, to describe the disease’s epidemiology and symptoms.
  • An educational video for health professionals to raise awareness of increased notifications and the importance of talking to patients about their vaccination status and the availability of catch up vaccines (where appropriate).
  • A promotion for travellers to ensure they are aware of the risks of measles in countries where the disease is endemic or where there are outbreaks, and that a cost-effective vaccination option is available to protect them from the disease.
  • A promotion for those born between 1966 and 1994, to encourage them to check their vaccination status and talk to their GP if they are not sure.

The first symptoms of the virus are fever, tiredness, cough, runny nose, sore red eyes and general unwell feeling. With a rash appearing after a few days, the rash starts on the face, spreads down to the body and lasts for 4-7 days. Young children (especially infants) may also experience diarrhoea.

Up to a third of people with measles will have complications. These include ear infections, diarrhoea, and pneumonia, and may require hospitalisation. About one in every 1000 people with measles develops encephalitis (swelling of the brain).[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]