Patient group coalition challenges government to prioritise preventative health amid $13 billion surge

Nearly 20 patient advocacy groups have united at Parliament House today urging the 48th Parliament to commit to increased investment in preventative health.

Consumers Health Forum of Australia (CHF) CEO, Dr Elizabeth Deveny, outlined the critical need for the launch of the Coalition for Preventative Health Funding.

“Our members and sector partners have consistently highlighted the urgent need for greater funding in preventive health. While many politicians express agreement during our discussions in Parliament, this support rarely translates into substantial investment in community-based preventive health measures on Budget night,” Dr Deveny emphasised.

The Public Health Association of Australia (PHAA) has reiterated its call for the government to allocate 5% of total health expenditure to prevention- a commitment made during the 2022 election but never realised. The urgency is underscored by a $13 billion surge in chronic disease costs, reflecting an 8.2% rise in just one year, according to the latest data from the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW).

PHAA CEO, Adjunct Professor Terry Slevin, highlighted the glaring disparity in health spending, with only 2% of every $100 allocated to public health initiatives.

“This reinforces the need to invest in prevention. We’ve got to revisit that, if for no other reason than the inexorable, growing cost of managing these preventable diseases,” emphasised Professor Slevin.

Dr Deveny added, “We know Australians want to stay well and avoid getting sick in the first place. If the Government adequately funded preventive measures, we could ensure the right tools and resources are activated in our communities at the right time and in the right way.”

She also stressed the importance of community input, saying “Communities should also have a say in where and how these preventative investments are spent. COVID-19 taught us that a one-size-fits-all approach to health promotion and prevention simply doesn’t work.”

The Coalition, composed of leading Australian consumer health organisations, has outlined four key priorities:

1. Commit 5% of the health budget to prevention.
2. Engage the Coalition in a co-design and advisory capacity for spending these funds.
3. Ensure funding flows directly to Coalition members for community-based prevention work.
4. Establish a Secretariat to administer the Coalition’s operations.

Dr Deveny underscored the Coalition’s broader mission, saying “The Coalition’s goal is to amplify the voices of consumers, giving Australians and their communities greater opportunities to stay healthy and productive.

“Today we invite all Members of Parliament and Senators to join us in addressing a fundamental healthcare issue in Australia. We call on all parliamentarians to show us their support in helping keep their communities well. The best way this can be done is through preventative health.”

She added, “We want to ensure the voice of consumers are heard and that representatives are listening, and we feel like there is no better way to do that than launching this coalition in Parliament House.”

The Coalition’s membership includes Emerge Australia, Chronic Pain Australia, Arthritis Australia, Hepatitis Australia, Health Consumers Council WA, Health Consumers QLD, Consumers Health Forum of Australia, Dementia Australia, Inherited Cancers Australia, Immune Deficiencies Foundation Australia, Health Equity Matters, Macular Disease Foundation Australia, Crohn’s and Colitis Australia, Genetic Alliance Australia, Health Consumers Tasmania, Breast Cancer Network Australia, Health Care Consumers’ Association of the ACT and Cancer Voices NSW.

In reimagining healthcare across the entire patient journey, Health Industry Hub^TM is the only one-stop-hub uniting the diversity of the Pharma, MedTech, Diagnostics & Biotech sectors to inspire meaningful change.

The Health Industry Hub^TM content is copyright protected. Access is available under individual user licenses. Please click here to subscribe and visit T&Cs here.