Health care remains one of the major political, financial and social issues in Australia and other OECD countries. National surveys reveal a common contradiction between people’s greater satisfaction with their personal experience of care and a high level of dissatisfaction with “the system” as a whole. The growing proportion of elderly people and those with chronic conditions, escalating costs and increased expectations make the need for a comprehensive health sector reform as urgent and compelling as ever.

 

In Australia, the process of developing reform options was led by the National Health and Hospitals Reform Commission which presented its findings and recommendations to the Government in a report “A Healthier Future for All Australians” released in July 2009. Their blueprint for reform includes a vision for “a sustainable, high quality, responsive health system for all Australians, now and into the future” and is currently subject of ongoing public consultation and engagement with the community, health professionals and health services.

 

In support of these developments, Global Access Partners (GAP) in association with the Australian Centre for Health Research (ACHR), hosted a Congress on Australia’s Health on 30 November 2009 in Melbourne, to review major aspects of proposed and possible reforms and improvements required for the successful evolution of the Australian health sector.

 

The Congress brought representatives from state and federal government together with key figures from research, industry and commerce sectors, hospitals, insurers, pharmaceutical companies, area and district health services, and consumer groups.

 

Discussion topics included the role of governments as funders, service providers and buyers of health care products and services; minimisation of costs associated with health care reform; the need for a national health data system accessible to general practitioners, allied health care providers and bureaucracies; management and funding of the aged care sector, and the creation of a more self‐sufficient and flexible medical workforce.

 

The GAP/ACHR Congress on Australia’s Health brought together such a fine cross-disciplinary brain’s trust for informed and impassioned debate on the best way forward for a healthy national health system. If implemented, the range of proposed changes would be radical and far reaching.

 

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