No doubt that K-Rudd and the ALP are making health a key issue in the federal election this year.
Several weeks before the election was (formally) called, the “Honourable” PM John Howard gave some money to a small, rural hospital in Northern Tasmania to keep it open.
The problem is that running health – and the health-care system in general – is the domain of the individual State/Territory Governments, not the Feds. Health Minister and Born-again Fundamentalist Tony Abbott has continually said that it’s not their fault the health system is a shambles – its the States’ fault! This is the same minister who a couple of years ago vigorously defended legislation which was passed that saw GP’s and nurses given the ability to perform antenatal check-ups for pregnant women in remote areas as part of Medicare – but not Midwives (who are actually trained professionals in the field of pregnancy and birth).
Along these lines, a letter was sent by an individual woman to this same minister a few weeks ago, asking about making midwifery care for pregnant/birthing women to be seen as the primary model of health care for normal, healthy women (obstetricians are trained in ‘emergency’ models of health, that is when there are serious complications that require medical/surgical intervention).
Anyway, here is the copy of the letter received (click on the image to see full size):
I guess my question is: if the Feds don’t want to do anything about the Health-care system in this country, why else would you throw money at a failing rural hospital in a marginal electorate? At least K-Rudd has a definitive plan of how he plans to fix – or alternatively allow the States/Territories to fix before losing the right to – the public health situation….
…just a thought….
