The public health system is indeed poorly - but it is not as sick as some would have it.

we deliver good outcomes with a budget of less than 10% of GDP - we cold do better - the sysatme is disjointed and poorly coordinated - partly because it is too large.

It is less a system than a collection of loosely couples systems, it is over bueraucratised and over medicalised.

Both parties do court privatisation - one becuase it is consistent with their philosophy and the other because it allows them to abrogate their responsibility towards public health - the second are simply too scared of a political backlash if they inject the necessary funds into the system and embark upon a program of widespread structural change that the system cries out for.

A recent preogram in Queensland had physiotherapists triaging patients presenting with back pain - this resulted in a dramatic decrease in referrals to surgeons, the implementation of more conservative treatments modes - together with good outcomes - every one was happy - apart from the AMA. There in lies only one problem - the territorality and tendency to find a demarcation dispute at every tune by one of the nations strongest and most out spoken unions.

The public health system is indeed poorly - but it is not as sick as some would have it.

we deliver good outcomes with a budget of less than 10% of GDP - we cold do better - the sysatme is disjointed and poorly coordinated - partly because it is too large.

It is less a system than a collection of loosely couples systems, it is over bueraucratised and over medicalised.

Both parties do court privatisation - one becuase it is consistent with their philosophy and the other because it allows them to abrogate their responsibility towards public health - the second are simply too scared of a political backlash if they inject the necessary funds into the system and embark upon a program of widespread structural change that the system cries out for.

A recent preogram in Queensland had physiotherapists triaging patients presenting with back pain - this resulted in a dramatic decrease in referrals to surgeons, the implementation of more conservative treatments modes - together with good outcomes - every one was happy - apart from the AMA. There in lies only one problem - the territorality and tendency to find a demarcation dispute at every ture by one of the nations strongest and most out spoken unions.

Klein's Shock Doctrine video is available on Youtube.

Part 1 is here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kieyjfZDUIc

- the other parts are linked from that page.

- enjoy!

EMERGENCY ROOMS

Praise can rightfully assigned to most medical carers. Unlike a recently reported case, I found staff at RNSH totally professional and caring: I have an advanced cancer being treated over a six month period. If there is inadequate staffing at RNHS and other hospitals, the buck stops with the State and Federal Health Ministers. Especially the latter, Tony Abbott, because the Federal Government holds on to surplus, so to pork barrel at election time.

Faced with Sophie’s choice situations daily triage medical staff must assign priorities: A women having a stroke-in-progress is at greater risk of death than one having a miss-carriage. In the latter case the baby cannot be saved.

So, please don’t blame the doctors and nurses: Blame the way the politicians work and in particular Tony Abbott, as Federal Health Minister.

Personally, I believe that under performing ministers should be voted out of their seats regardless of the voters usual political leanings, Liberal, Labor or minor party. We need to sack bad employees. The Ancient Greeks did this by depositing black tiles in a repository. Good on them Greeks! Unfortunately, we contemporary Australians let the two parties rule us, rather than we control them.

POSITRON EMISSION TOMOGRAPHY SCANNERS

I have a T3CN1M0 cancer. I have no concerns about the skill of medical staff treating and anticipate surviving the first operation. Catch is radical, isolated cancer cells undetectable to MRI and CT scan technologies could remain in my system killing me in 3-4 years time.

We all know, with cancer, earlier detection is critical. With a PET the possibility of re-occurrence isincreases early detection.

Abbott is like someone who wont give a drink to someone dying of thirst. Please read 7.30 Report transcripts:

http://www.abc.net.au/7.30/content/2007/s1973995.htm

http://www.abc.net.au/7.30/content/2007/s2043989.htm

Multiple approaches to Abbott’s Office @ http://www.tonyabbott.com.au/contact.aspx remain unanswered.

We all are vulnerable to cancer. Affordable access to these life saving machines is important to us all.

On can only hope that conservative Manly voters, will, in good conscience cross the floor and vote out Tony Abbott, so we have affordable access to PET scanners.

Vote for Health not a party.

"We are born, we live, we die. And in between those stages, especially just before the final one, we spend bucketloads of money on medicine and doctors. No surprise then that with the greying of Australia the nation's hospitals, pathology clinics and nursing homes are ringing up bumper profits."

"As the notoriously cashed-up baby boomer bubble prepares to burst into serious old age, the health-care sector is taking off and fortunes are being made."

http://www.uow.edu.au/arts/sts/bmartin/dissent/documents/health/aus_health_corp.html

Could Australia’s public health system go down that path?

It is already going down that path! The path of privatisation, what will be experienced by the baby boomers is that the cost of health care will eat away at their retirement funds like an ulcer and retirement will not be as comfortable.

JamesH,

Moreover, many middle managers were retrenched in the 1990s to that companies could push up profits by raiding retrement funds. Westpac did this retrenching high performing staff as if they had been "fired", paying six percent simple intrest on contributions, rather than the retrenched workers' real equity. Actuaries then went the Fund. Suprise! The Fund became 700 million dollars oversubscribed, to pocket to cover losses and make a small profit. Point is thousands across industries lost their savings of twenty years and are now ill prepared to cover Health costs in their retirement.