HEALTH INITIATIVES: “FIX OUR HOSPITALS” CAMPAIGN AND SUBSIDISED HIV TREATMENT

On Wednesday, the Central Queensland town of Gladstone in the marginal electorate of Flynn was the launchpad for the Australian Labor Party’s (ALP) “Fix Our Hospitals” campaign. The Leader of the Opposition, the Hon Bill Shorten MP, and the Shadow Minister for Health and Medicare, the Hon Catherine King MP, launched the initiative seeking to challenge the Government’s recent hospital funding deal with State and Territory leaders. The deal, which was presented last month at the Council of Australian Government’s meeting, committed the Coalition to fund 45 per cent of hospital spending over five years. Labor’s campaign has pledged 50 per cent of hospital spending over the same period. In the announcement, Mr Shorten warned that the Government’s current funding agreement would cut $715 million to public hospitals between 2017 and 2020. In a joint statement with Ms King, Mr Shorten said this was the equivalent of 2010 nursing jobs a year, 198,000 cataract extractions or 27,000 knee replacements.

In other health news, Minister for Health, the Hon Greg Hunt MP, announced that the HIV prevention treatment pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) would be subsidised by the Pharmaceutical Benefit Scheme (PBS) from April 1. The $180 million listing has been warmly welcomed as Australia seeks to achieve its goal of no new HIV infections by 2020. This listing will mean that up to 32,000 patients will only pay a maximum of $39.50 per script, with concessional patients paying just $6.40.

Access to PrEP will benefit a diverse population, driving down rates in gay and bisexual communities, as well as Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander and migrant communities. The Government is also providing $1.2 million over five years for education and awareness activities. The announcement comes as the Government finalises the Eighth National HIV Strategy 2018–2022, which will provide the roadmap for improving health outcomes.