The silence is deafening from both parties, says AMA President

MedTech News: The AMA has expressed frustration at the federal election’s halfway mark that both major parties have had nothing significant to say on future health investment, scoring an F for fail so far. 

At the halfway point of the federal election campaign neither major political has shown leadership on the urgent need for reform of Australia’s health system or outlined any comprehensive plans on how to tackle its many problems. 

AMA President Dr Omar Khorshid said “We’ve hit the halfway mark of the election campaign and yet we are halfway to nowhere on health. The scorecard for the major parties is not a passing grade. 

“We are yet to hear of any comprehensive health plan from either party that will deliver better health for Australians after May 21. The silence is deafening from both parties. 

Dr Danielle McMullen, President of AMA NSW, joined Dr Khorshid in a media conference in Sydney after meeting NSW Health Minister, Brad Hazzard, on the pressing need for reforms of the health system. 

“Our current system is not fit for purpose to provide high-quality general practice care and for us to do the job that so many Australians need,” she said.  

“So we are calling on government to talk about health, to make it an election priority and to ensure we have strong funding of our public health system, but also of our primary care system so that we can all continue to provide not just COVID care, but all non-COVID care chronic disease management that has been underdone for the past few years.” 

At the start of the election campaign, the AMA issued its election platform, and also launched its plan to Modernise Medicare, which outlines the need for specific and targeted reform and investment in Australia’s general practices.  

This puts the two major parties on notice that their election promises on health will be scored against the AMA blueprint at the end of the campaign.