Some Informed Comments on the Rudd / Roxon Health Reform Program.

The following appeared today.

Rudd reform will not end the blame game, say health experts

MARK METHERELL HEALTH CORRESPONDENT

March 10, 2010

THE health reform blueprint will not end blame-shifting between state and federal governments and may leave many hospitals in dire straits, two authorities on health warn.

The $50 billion reform package ''is largely spin'', said John Deeble, the co-architect of Medicare.

David Penington, who headed the Hawke government's national AIDS task force, said that contrary to the reform document's claim to end the federal-state blame game, ''there is huge potential for blame-shifting''.

The pair, who published their views in articles in the electronic version of the Medical Journal of Australia yesterday, have also rejected the proposal for local hospital networks, built around central funding of one principal and several smaller hospitals.

Dr Deeble described the networks as ''absurdly small''. Professor Penington said that along with the funding changes, the local network plan would leave many hospitals in ''dire straits''.

More here:

This article draws on the following two papers from the Medical Journal of Australia.

Viewpoint

Prime Minister Rudd’s plan for reforming Australian public hospitals

David G Penington.

eMJA - Rapid Online Publication 9 March 2010.

http://www.mja.com.au/public/rop/penington/pen10243_fm.html

Reforming Australian health care: the first instalment

John S Deeble.

eMJA - Rapid Online Publication 9 March 2010.

http://www.mja.com.au/public/rop/deeble/dee10245_fm.html

I have to say the following line grabbed by attention.

''Will all this reduce the blame game? Of course not. This policy document is full of it,'' Dr Deeble said.

Both are well worth a read and are freely available on the MJA site.

David.