Missed Opportunity: Healthcare Bodies Regret Budget 2024’s Failure to Address System Issues
The Australian Medical Association stressed the importance of prioritizing enhanced funding for general practice by the government.
Several health organizations described the federal budget as a “missed opportunity” in addressing health system issues and rural health equity.
“More urgent care clinics are not a sustainable solution, and the government’s continuous funding of such clinics without proper evaluation of their effectiveness is concerning. What we truly need is a reform that empowers general practice to provide the primary care our patients require, rather than fragmented changes and announcements,” remarked Professor Steve Robson, President of the Australian Medical Association (AMA).
One of the healthcare priorities in the budget includes investing $227 million (US$152 million) to establish 29 Medicare Urgent Care Centres (UCCs), ensuring essential services are easily accessible to communities across Australia without long waits in crowded hospital emergency departments.
Health and Aged Care Minister Mark Butler noted that 58 Medicare UCCs had already been rolled out in previous budgets.
Allied Health Professionals Australia (AHPA) expressed concerns about expanding a model that hasn’t been thoroughly evaluated, citing low UCC utilization.
“This oversight hampers urgent care access, particularly for rural and remote Australians,” AHPA CEO Bronwyn Morris-Donovan stated.
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“A missed opportunity lies in utilizing the allied health workforce to enhance urgent care accessibility, especially in rural and remote regions,” added AMA.
AMA advocated for an improved funding framework for general practice (GP) in the budget, considering a decreasing GP workforce, to enable patients to visit their doctors whenever needed, even outside regular business hours.
“Australia faces a looming GP shortage that necessitates urgent attention. Encouraging more doctors to pursue general practice by providing equitable employment conditions for GP trainees compared to hospital counterparts is crucial. Additionally, establishing an independent planning agency is vital to ensure the future health workforce aligns with community demands,” expressed Mr. Robson.
Conversely, AHPA demanded more initiatives for healthcare professionals managing patients with chronic and complex conditions.
Ms. Morris-Donovan criticized the provision of $16 million over four years from 2024–25 and $200,000 annually to incentivize GPs for single discipline care, deterring multidisciplinary care.
“Consumers are constrained by the outdated model of only five allied health sessions per calendar year. With a declining GP workforce and record low bulk-billing rates, consumers with chronic ailments face challenges connecting with their GPs,” she highlighted.
“Consumers with intricate health requirements benefit from comprehensive multidisciplinary team care.”
Budget Allocates $71.3 Million for Rural, Regional Health
The National Rural Health Alliance (NRHA) welcomed the commitment to support rural training opportunities and introduce Commonwealth Prac Payment but raised concerns about the inadequate healthcare funding for rural communities.
The NRHA underscored that rural men have a 2.5 times higher likelihood and women 2.8 times higher likelihood of dying from potential preventable causes compared to urban areas.
Despite an additional $71.3 million funding over three years to bolster the delivery of crucial health services to rural and remote Australians through the Royal Flying Doctor Service (RFDS), NRHA highlighted challenges faced by numerous struggling primary health care services in rural and remote areas that require support and significant reform.
Budget Breakdown for Health
The budget also allocates $882.2 million to ease pressure on hospitals, $361 million over four years to expand free mental health services, and $69.8 million to increase the number of Medicare-eligible MRI machines.
Additionally, the budget sets aside $266.9 million for annual Medicare rebates growth in nuclear medicine imaging and common medical tests, $91.1 million to enhance healthcare supply in underserved areas, including RFDS funding.
Moreover, the budget dedicates $469.1 million to reduce patient costs and enhance medication access, $3.4 billion to list new medicines on the PBS, $18.8 million to position Australia as a hub for clinical trials, and $1.4 billion over 13 years for new health and medical research funded by the Medical Research Future Fund.
“While specifics will follow, the government’s commitment to further wage increases in aged care will be a welcomed change for underpaid and undervalued, predominantly female, workers,” stated Australian Nursing and Midwifery Federation Federal Secretary Annie Butler.
“However, we urge the government to embrace bold reforms that empower nurses and midwives to practice with their full capabilities. The additional Medicare rebates for midwives announced in the budget are a promising initial step for our members,” she added.
The budget also includes $25.3 million for skin cancer prevention, $38.8 million for ongoing free bowel cancer screening under the National Bowel Cancer Screening Program, $43.9 million toward eliminating HIV transmission by 2030, and $132.7 million to boost sports participation.
