Universal health care begins with self-responsibility.

Being responsible for what you put in your mouth on a consistent basis over the years. With both the quality and quantity of the food one eats.

Apart from congenital diseases etc most of us eat our way into our doctors rooms and then to hospital.

The corollary is that a change of diet to mostly fresh fruit and vegetables accompanied with fasting is an essential and necessary means of any true healing process.

The body is first and foremost a food-body. Hence the quality of the food one ingests effects the quality of ones life altogether--in every dimension of ones being.

The author of this timely article writes about a community medical/health service that is long overdue for drastic surgery by a federal government with the will & dedication to improve the present system. Previous Australian governments of both persuations have tinkered around the edges, unfortunately in most cases accomplishing very little of substance. The present system has changed little since the days of its introduction by the Whitlam government. The system at present would appear to be run for the benefit of the health professionals with as an afterthought the patients. The system should be wholly public funded from public taxation with the only input from wholly private funded private health organisations. All branches of Medico training urgently requires modernistic upgrading/expansion & must be removed from the dead hand control of self regulated medical organisations presently actively involved, placed under proper even handed federal government control. Similarly sufficient specialist hospitals/centre's for the various medical disciplines, should be federally financed, constructed, adequately staffed, strategically located throughout the nation.
A nations health should not be the target of commerce, the question must be asked, how can a federal government with any public conscience allow a public company or companies to take an active leading interest in dispensing medical outcomes? With the sole object of making money for the shareholders out of human sickness? With as an end result, money or the lack of it determines your level of medical intervention.
Is there a federal government out there who will have the courage to institute a proper all encompassing national health service properly funded by universal taxation?

The first poster will get a shock if ever admitted to a Gov't Hosp.
The fare looks like something served to someone else who rejected it a couple of days ago , is pungent with booster , yuk , asfaik never killed anyone and provokes an overwhelming desire to desert and die as fast as possible .
Govm'nt should never be allowed to run anything , thats why people flee the public system , my family does and let me tell you it keeps us poor .
Our hosp now has a MRI Shepparton were presented with one 7yrs earlier . How come given ours is a bigger Hosp. Serving 7 times as many people , because our local pollie and the Health Minister forgot to tell the Hosp to apply for a free MRI courtesy John Howard .
The Dr's and a hoard of Beaurocrats have an iron fisted hold over the hospital , if you need assistance in the middle of the night , too bad , the nurses can't help , you wait in agony until the Great White Mundhugie turns up after breakfast . It's disgusting our hospital hijacked by nohopers and beaurocrats. When the Minister visits the Beauro's all get total makeovers , they look grotesque , when the minister arrives they bower and swerl like ferrets on crack in hideous adoration . So what it is , a parasitic wedding of Socialism and Private Enterprise of course no Dr.s are to be seen .

I think ShazBaz00? fails to recognise the byzantian funding that is used to fund private hospitals, its wasteful, inefficient and inequitable.

HoHum is only interested in supporting the deserving poor/sick/disaster victims. When HoHum gets to old age s/he will get the same treatment as a public patient irrespective of whether s/he has had lifetime health insurance cover. Medibank Private are very grateful for the contributions from Australian seniors.

Visits to specialists have leave the patient $200 for an initial consultation after a 4 month wait. If the patient lives in a rural area they might wait for 3 weeks for a medical appointment to write a scrip for an existing medication. So the aging portion of the population devotes increasing portion of their diminishing income to medicos to manage their arthritis, failing eyesight, eroding teeth and plumbing.

I welcome the introduction of a Denticare scheme so that the disadvantaged can get timely dental treatment. I think that a Denticare scheme will improve the whole populations oral health. I know professional workers who only visit dentists when they notice a problem so haven't seen a dentist for 7 years. A casual perusal of the smiles on public transport reveals that many people have missing front teeth, darkening front teeth and serious gum disease. You can die of blood poisoning from infected teeth.

The author asked if fee for service is the best model for Australia. Do we want our medicos to be salaried - well doctors wouldn't be as penalised for electing to work in the poorer rural areas although they still have to be more self reliant than urban medicos. The Australian public don't fear the American style overservicing.