Australian Health Care System - Coursework Example

The Growing Population and Healthcare Ability Introduction The Australian health care system is currently experiencing several problems because of the growing population and the inadequacies in the health care system (Gardner & Simon, 2002). These two aspects have greatly reduced the effectiveness and efficiency of the health care system. Reforms started back in the 1990s with the formation of primary health care organizations that played a key role in reviving the then failing Australian health care system. As well as in other highly industrialized countries, Australia is experiencing a high rate of population growth that is stimulated by high fertility levels and high rate of immigration in the period that followed the Second World War (Australian Bureau of Statistics, 2008). The Australian Bureau of Statistics (2008) postulates that there were approximately 4.2 million children born in Australia between the years 1946 and 1965.They call this period the ‘baby boomer’ generation because of the many births. A census conducted in the year 2001 by the Australian Bureau of Statistics recorded5.5 million people that they claimed belonged to the baby boomer generation (Australian Bureau of Statistics, 2008). Directly associated with the growing population, is the inadequacy of the Australian health care system. The high population has created high demand for more doctors, nurses, health professional and more health care services. The overall implication of the high population is the heightened pressure on the health care system that calls for provision of more health services that are of higher standards. (Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, 2011). In a few years, the population will have grown by a large percentage and this will be a core cause of worry and concern for the Australian government. Apart from establishment of primary health care units, the Australian government has to put policies and programs in place to cater for medical and health care costs of the growing population in future. Good governance and integration of information and communication technology are important factors in reforming the health care sector. High population growth The Australian population is growing at a high rate. Some of the contributing factors to the high population growth are high fertility levels and the high number of immigrants entering Australia (Willis et al, 2008). The Australian bureau of statistics (2008) projects that the population will continue to grow and they foresee a population increase of approximately 34.2 million people by the year 2051.Earlier projections done in 2004 predicted a population increase of 28.2 million people. These estimates have put pressure on the government to improve the health care system. However, this growth will exert more pressure because of its association with other demographic factors. There will be prevalent need for health care among children and teenagers but the large population in need of these services will include the old people in their retirement age. This will necessitate a change in health care policy and establishment of better programs to cater for the large population. Negative issues Disease prevalence will rise with consequent rise in population. Chronic diseases such as cancer are predicted to rise and cause more problems (Glasgow et al, 2008, 134). The WHO has warned that the global weight of these diseases will escalate as population increases. It predicts that by the year 2020, a quarter of all illnesses and deaths will result from chronic diseases (Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, 2008). This prediction implies that more funding will be needed to supplement the current expenditure of the health care sector in Australia because the money allocated to the health care sector will not be sufficient. This will result in poor health, more incidences of diseases in the population and rise in death cases due to lack of quality and sufficient health amenities. Lack of good health care has also increased cases of hospitalization .The Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (2008) stated that between the period 2008 and 2009, there were more than 7.9 million hospitalization cases. More than 7.1 million patients were taken to hospitals with emergency conditions. The alarming statistic is that 31% of these patients did not receive any treatment within the recommended period after they were admitted. This is a direct reflection of the inadequate provision of quality health care in the Australian health care system. Inadequate health care services reduce the productivity of the population and as a result, cause a negative impact to the economy (Australian Institute of Health and Welfare 2011). For example, according to the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (2011), cases of diabetes are expected to increase by approximately 9% in the coming year. The size of the population is proportional to the occurrence of diabetes: the higher the population, the higher the cases of diabetes occurrence. The high population of Australia will experience increased cases of chronic illnesses and diabetes. As such, the treasury and the department of Health and Ageing are working together to develop a project that will evaluate the impact on the economy of chronic diseases on the increasing population and the possible benefits that will arise from provision of better health care services. The high population will increase pressure on the health care sector because of inadequate work force to cater for it (Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, 2011). Soon, most of the people serving in the health care sector will retire and this will present a major blow to the Australian health care sector. Very few health care personnel will be available to offer services to the increasing population because in a few years, those currently serving in the health care system will be in their old age and will be unable to continue offering their services. As such, there is need for the government to take swift measures to revert the possibility of such an occurrence taking place. Positive issues A high population directly and indirectly presents positive impacts to many sectors of the economy and the health care system respectively. It means a high workforce that increases productivity and as a result contributes to the growth the economy. However, this is successful only if the population is healthy through provision of better health care services (Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, 2008). In addition, a high population presents some opportunities to the health care sector. First, there is an increased health care workforce. This results from the fact that there are more people available to work in the health care sector. More doctors, nurses and health caretakers are available to cater for the high population. Secondly, it means that the government can get more revenue to fund the health care sector (National Health Performance Committee, 2004). This may be obtained from taxes paid to the government or through programs and policies put in place to seek additional funding from external sources. Thirdly, it guarantees high funding from international organizations such as UN and WHO that are concerned with the welfare of countries (National Health Performance Committee, 2004). Therefore, the government has more money to finance projects that provide health care to the people. Consecutively, the growing population will put the health system under pressure to provide more health and medical services, drugs and associated technological amenities (McDonald & Hare, 2004). The government will be required to increases its expenditure on the health care system and ensure that it is sustainable. This necessitates the initiation of cost-effective health services and subsequent adjustment of spending to enhance sustainability. Health care ability Negative issues The hospitals and other health care facilities are not enough to cater for all the patients that seek treatment. This has presented a difficult challenge to the health care sectors because as the population grows, better services should be availed to cater for the growing population. There are shortages of doctors, nurses and hospital beds (Palmer & Short, 2010). For example, in Bundaberg hospital, these shortages have led to serious injury and death of some patients admitted there for treatment in the past (Australian Primary Care Collaboratives, 2012). These incidences elicited public outcry that sought to push for provision of more health care professionals and services. These inadequacies exist in all hospitals throughout Australia. Of great concern are the public hospitals. It has been observed that public hospitals are unable to provide health care services that the government makes available to the people. In cases where these services are provided, they are of low quality and do not guarantee good health and safety to patients (Palmer and Short, 2010). In recent times, this problem has been attributed to political irresponsibility and bad relationships between the Australian government and the commonwealth. The commonwealth minister Mark Butler heaped blame on the state government of Greenland claiming that provision of health care services was the responsibility of the government (Caroline et al., 2011). In return, the government blamed the commonwealth claiming that it failed to fund the training and education expenses of more doctors and nurses (Palmer & Short, 2010). In addition, the government claimed that the commonwealth also failed to provide more funding for quality delivery of services that would assure the patients good health and safety. As a result, the commonwealth gave $1.3 billion to fund surgeries for patients who had been waiting and had no money to pay for the service (Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, 2011). It is imperative to recognize that provision of quality health care services is a responsibility of both the government and the commonwealth (Productivity Commission, 2005). The government should refrain from blaming the commonwealth and instead work together to address the problem. The Australian healthcare agreement signed between the commonwealth and the Australian states limits what can be done to remedy the situation (Productivity Commission, 2005). According to this agreement, the government is responsible for providing free health care services to all people. This was regardless of whether the state was in a position to provide these services or not. At one time, the premier proposed a small contribution by patients for some services but the health minister differed and accused him of possible breach of the agreement. Australian healthcare agreements are very limiting to the states in that they all maintain that all Australians are entitled to free health care and treatment regardless of their economic situation (Fett, 2007). This includes all treatment procedures such as surgeries and emergency services. Politicians have failed in their duty to push for better healthcare agreements because the existing ones are not realistic. Australia cannot afford to provide health care services to all its residents without compromising on quality. Bound by the agreements, the government has tried to provide better health care services but unfortunately, they are of low quality because they are insufficient and do not guarantee the health and safety of the patients. In addition, uneven distribution of health care professionals has largely contributed to the low quality of health care services (Fett, 2007). For example, people living in the rural areas and remote regions have access to poorer health amenities as compared to other areas and regions of Australia. Research carried out by the National Health Performance Committee in 2003 on the quality of health care services has shown that indigenous Australians receive poorer services compared to other Australians (National Health Performance Committee 2004). This is in direct relation to the remoteness of a region or community. Positive issues Even though the Australian health care sector has many inadequacies, it has positive aspects that give hope of a better health care sector if amendments are made. First, it ensures equity in providing health services to patients (The Auditor General, 1998).Australian health care sector has well developed policies that reduce inequality and improve the quality of services offered. This is possible because of policies and agreements that exist between the state and the commonwealth. One of the purposes of establishing primary health care organizations was to improve access and equality in provision of health care services. Secondly, the government is working hard to improve the current state of the health care system in Australia. For example, the government established the National Health and Hospitals Reform Commission and delegated the responsibility to reform the health system so that better and quality health care services are provided (The Auditor General, 1998). This positive move shows government’s concern and determination to reform the health care system and provide quality services to Australians. Thirdly, analysts have projected that the health expenditure will nearly double in relation to Australia’s GDP in the period covering the next forty years (Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, 2005). This means that the health system will have the ability to provide health care of higher standards and incorporate new technological aspects in the health system. These provisions will ensure better and higher quality health services that will be adequate to support the growing population. Despite the many inadequacies, the efforts of the government precisely reflect a better future for the health system in Australia. These provisions and other amendments will guarantee better health services and medical care of higher standards that those present now. Implementation and sustainability of these reforms will be imperative for a better health care system that will be able e to serve the growing population. The future of the Australian health care system The future of the Australian health care system depends on the implementation of important strategies and policies that will ensure the provision of better services. The formation of primary health organizations by the government helped improve services by ensuring population accountability and improved access to health services (Caroline et al., 2011).Improvement of efficiency and quality are key factors in improving the health care system. Of greater importance is good governance and execution of policies that change the current face of the Australian healthy care system. Such policies would include clearly spelt-out standards on accreditation of primary health organizations and the responsibilities of each health care sector to avoid inconveniencies. These reforms give hope for a better health care system that will provide sufficient and high quality care for the growing population. Improvement of quality To improve quality, the Royal Australian College of General practices is tasked with the responsibility of accrediting all health care general practices in Australia. Its work is to help practices attain the required standard for accreditation (Caroline et al., 2011). Most Australians that sought treatment believe that the services they received were erroneous and had no confidence in the health care system. The system also does not make provisions for quality health care because of lack of treatment continuity. A survey conducted by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare in 2011on the quality of health services offered showed that most of them had to see different doctors in the course of their treatment and there were instances of wrong prescription because of lost patient records (Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, 2011). This problem has resulted from the division of duties between the state and the commonwealth that has resulted in inefficient provision of health care services. The solution to this problem would be to give the health care responsibility to either the state or the commonwealth. Dividing the responsibility is lethal to the health care system because all they do is blame each other for the inadequacies. In addition, increasing financing to programs that are under the control of the state would improve efficiency rather that increasing financing to entitlement programs run by commonwealth. Quality may be improved by increasing the participation of general health practices in the Australian care Collaboratives program that has greatly helped in the improvement of care accorded to patients of diabetes and cardiovascular diseases. Big improvements have been observed in practices that have participated in the program. (Australian Primary Care Collaborative, 2012). In addition, incorporation information and communication technology more would be important in ensuring and maintaining quality (Carole et al., 2011).This will allow proper storage of patient records and facilitate easy access to the information by both the patient and the health care professionals. Improving efficiency Improving governance will improve efficiency of the health care system (Carole et al., 2011). To improve efficiency, there should be clarification of the different roles of the state and the commonwealth in matters of the health system (National Health and Hospitals Reform Commission, 2009). For example, the state can focus on providing health services while the commonwealth concentrates on purchasing the services that the government is unable to provide. In addition, the two can lay emphasis on research on the expected rise in the growth of chronic diseases and put measures in place to counter the increase (National Health and Hospitals Reform Commission, 2009). However, efforts to counter the increase should be a collaborative effort that should include the state, commonwealth, providers of health services and the consumers of these services. Division of responsibilities and lack of financing have squashed these efforts to improve efficiency. Another important strategy to improve efficiency is to establish policies that encourage innovation and research in the health system (Greenfield and Braithwaite, 2008,). For example, an innovation strategy worked out well in improving the efficiency of the health system in the UK. With the projection of an increase in the incidence of chronic diseases, extensive research and innovation would play a key role in countering the problem. The government should also increase its expenditure in establishing more primary health care units that focus on population health, facilitate easy access to health services and incorporate both primary and secondary health care services in their programs. Medical expenses cost sharing The Australian health care system is designed to provide free medical care and treatment to all Australians free of charge regardless of status or economic background. This provision is provided by the Australian healthcare agreement that was signed between all states and the commonwealth. This agreement binds the government to provide free medical treatment to all residents whether it is in a position to provide quality services or not. Unless this agreement is revised and updated, the healthcare problem will persist. The reform to be executed on the agreement is two-sided. First, the agreement should be revised to include free provision of health service to only financially unstable patients. The agreement is not realistic since financially stable people can afford to fund their treatment and medical care. If this happens, the health system would have surplus finances to provide better and quality services to patients from poor economic backgrounds. Secondly, the agreement should include cost sharing of treatment costs between the patient and the state. Though proposed earlier, the cost-sharing proposal did not come into effect because of political interference. With the growing population, the government cannot successfully fund all costs of treatment for all patients. This system of cost-sharing works in many parts of the world and with proper execution, it could ease the burden of the states. Conclusion The Australian health care system is presently facing many challenges among them, the growing population and its inability to provide health services of high quality (McDonald & Hare, 2004). The present health services offered do not guarantee patient health and safety during treatment. Inadequacies in the Australian health system include shortages of doctors, nurses and other health professionals, shortages of beds in hospitals and inadequate funding to cater for the high population. In addition, division of responsibilities between the state and the commonwealth has also presented great barriers in the provision of quality health care services. The Australian healthcare agreement has contributed to the problem in the large. This agreement is unrealistic because the state does not have enough resources to provide quality services to all people free of charge. This has dragged efforts to reform the health sector in Australia because the state is bound o provide free services to all people regardless of its current economic situation. To improve services and enable the Australian health care system cater for its growing population, reforms have to be made in the different aspects of the system. Execution of several strategies and reforms are imperative. For example, additional funding to the health system will lead to employment of more doctors and nurses to improve efficiency and counter problems experienced due to shortages. In addition, sharing the cost of treatment between the state and the patients will ease the burden of funding all patients. This will consequently improve efficiency, and the quality of the health services provided. References Australian Bureau of Statistics (2008). Population Projections 1997 to 2051. Canberra :Australian Bureau of Statistics. Australian Institute of Health and Welfare. (2011). Australia’s Health 2008.Cat. No. AUS 99, AIHW, Canberra. Australian Institute of Health and Welfare. (2008). Australia’s Health 2008.Cat. No. AUS 99. Canberra: AIHW. Australian Primary Care Collaboratives. (2012).The model for improvement. Retrieved from http://www.apcc.org.au/about_the_APCC/the_model_for_improvement/ Caroline, N., Claire, L., John E., and Robert W. (2011). The Australian Experiment: How Primary HealthCare Organizations Supported the Evolution of a Primary Health Care System. JABFM March–April 2012 Vol. 25 Supplement, doi: 10.3122/jabfm.2012.02.110219 Fett, M. (2007). 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