Leading healthcare provider, ProCare, has called today’s Budget disappointing for primary care, with no new spending announced.
While the Budget document touts a significant investment of $440.7 million over five years, the reality is that none of that is new money.
Bindi Norwell, CEO at ProCare says: “Whist we acknowledge and welcome the pre-announced money which will help improve access, retention, and performance in general practice; the Government has not further invested in the wider primary care system as was anticipated by the sector.
“Last year’s commitment to health care barely covered inflation and population growth, let alone addressing the issues we have with an aging population. This year’s new commitment is a paltry sum with additional requirements, that in real terms suggests the government investment in primary care is going backwards.
“While our colleagues in secondary care will likely be welcoming the announcement, particularly the infrastructure investment for new hospitals, the reality is that primary care is once again missing out. Primary care has been underfunded for years now and is in desperate need of a significant funding investment,” continues Norwell.
“It’s integral to invest in preventative care to keep people out of hospitals. Research shows that every dollar invested in general practice saves around $13 to $15 in secondary healthcare costs. Not investing more seems counter-intuitive to keeping our population well and to saving money in the long run,” points out Norwell.
“Today’s announcement will likely hit consumers hard, as practices will likely need to increase their fees again to cover the costs of keeping the lights on and paying their staff,” concludes Norwell.
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