Factors that ail our health system

UNFORTUNATELY today the dollar is the bottom line for most of life’s daily concerns, and the health system is not immune to this syndrome.

Notwithstanding this dollar deity, the health system in general consumes in excess of $ 170 billion a year ( and rising) of government fiscal expenditure, but still we hear empty vessels and opposition MPs screaming out for more.

“The government should do this or that,” is the annoying ageold chorus emanating from those who think the government coffers are bottomless, while our national debt has burgeoned to $ 500 billion.

The trouble with all things government, is that of every dollar spent, about 10 cents reaches the pointy end.

The rest is gobbled up by topheavy administration costs.

As far as health and lifestyle are concerned, our pensioners and the elderly are well provided for, and far better than most of similar ilk, worldwide.

Any pensioner disputing my claim is living in fairy land, or is certainly ill- informed as to all the government assistance available out there for those falling under the “elderly umbrella”.

I would venture that some may be partly to blame for their own predicament.

Apart from the generous pension scheme and accommodation subsidy etc, I could fill pages outlining the innumerable supplementary benefits and discounted services across the community in general, available from or through the various government and private agencies.

Government- funded assistance providers include Comlink, HACC, Blue Care, Anglicare, My Aged Care, Home Care Services, Pensioners Transport Scheme, Uniting Care, NDIS, free hearing aids plus many other free medical related services. These include subsidised prescription pharmaceuticals, and subsidised nursing home care is another massive impost.

A pensioner myself, I speak from personal experience.

I don’t smoke, drink, or gamble, but let me say in conclusion, it’s not the health system itself that is at fault, it’s the abuse of that same system fuelled by drugs/ alcohol, that is the biggest problem.

There is also over servicing and bulk billing by a minority of the medical fraternity, adding substantial costs. DON MORRIS

Cranbrook