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Nature of health care in Australia

The role of the health care system in Australia is to provide facilitiesand services that meet the needs of all Australians. Facilities andservices may be either government owned, funded and delivered, oralternatively provided by private practitioners and organisations on afee-for-service based system.

Traditionally, Australias health care system has been predominantlybased around diagnosis, screening treatment, care and rehabilitationand only a very small proportion of funding has gone to healthprevention and promotion campaigns. In recent times, there has beena shift towards the new public health approach which recognizes healthpromotion as an essential element in enabling people to increasecontrol over, and to improve, their health. It also promotes an

intersectoral approach where government and non-governmentalorganisations public and private sectors! wor" together at all levels toimprove the provision of health care.

Ranges of health care and facilities

Two types # Institutional and $on institutional

Institutional Non Institutional Healthcare

-psych hosp andgroup homefacilitations

- Ambulance

- Nursing home andhostels

- Public and privatehospitals

-GPs

- Special clinics ultrasound etc

- Specialists

- optometry

Access To health care facilities and services

- Medicare introduced in !"# provided all Australians $ith %ASI& healthcare' covers visits to GPs and public hospitals(

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- People using the system for surgery and emergency care are atdisadvantage

- Several groups in Australia have a disadvantage this reflected by

-

Access or have s)ills to the net

- *ac) of )no$ledge on health issues

- Illiterate

- +o not have a strong ,nglish spea)ing bac)ground

- -nable to afford services covered by Medicare

- +isability

- People living in rural and remote areas

.urther support is provided through the pharmaceutical benefit scheme and theMedicare Safety Net(

Responsibility for health care

- Public and private sectors responsible for health care- &ommon$ealth Govt provides funding to states and territories to enable

resources to be allocated their responsibility is

- Medicare

- P%S

- /epatriation hospitals

- NS+ 0 national drug strategies1

- ,d resources

They deliver

- Hosp- Mental health

- 2omens health

- Aboriginal health services

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- +ental

- Health promo

- .amily health

Funding of health care in Australia

The Australian health system is comple%, with many different providersof services, and a range of funding and regulatory mechanisms.Funding is provided by the &ommonwealth Federal! 'overnment,(tate and Territory governments, health insurers, individualAustralians and a range of other sources.

The &ommonwealths funding includes two national subsidy schemes -)edicare and the *harmaceutical +enefits (cheme *+(!. Theseschemes cover all Australians and subsidies their payments for medicalservices and for a high proportion of prescription medicines boughtfrom pharmacies. The &ommonwealth and (tate 'overnments alsoointly fund public hospital services so they are provided free of chargeto patients. +etween them, these three funding provisions aim to giveall Australians, regardless of their personal circumstances, access toadeuate health care at an affordable cost. (uccessive governmentsfor almost / years have supported these arrangements, with minor

modifications.

)edicare is a system that is partly funded by ta%payers, who pay whatis "nown as a )edicare levy as part of their ta%. 0egardless of whatfee is charged by the medical practitioner, every Australian is coveredfor 123 of a scheduled fee. This is a set amount determined by thegovernment for each medical service that is covered by )edicare.

*rivate health insurance is available for people who wish to be coveredfor private hospital fees or ancillary services such as physiotherapy

and optical appliances e.g. glasses, contact lenses etc!.

Public health insurance

)edicare govt health insurance partly funded by ta%able income. 4eyfeatures include5- 6niversality- 7uity

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9espite growing popularity, some alternative health care approachesappear to have little scientific proof that they wor". For this reasonmany medical practitioners oppose these approaches. &onsumers mayalso be susceptible to unproven, fraudulently mar"eted alternativehealth care products and treatments. This may mean that valuable

time and money is wasted on treatments before traditional methodsare sought.

Range of Health available

- 8omeopathy- Iridology

- Aromatherapy

- 0efle%ology

- &hiropractic

- 8erbal 0emedies

- Acupuncture

(ome uestions to consider when choosing this type of services andtreatment

-potential side effects

- +est possibility of success with least ris"

- Is the professional registered

- &ost involved

- ?ritten literature available

- 0ecovery time