Media Release 4/5/22
APA Election Manifesto
The APA is asking for the major parties to address the following issues:
- Affordable prescription medicines
Recent surveys conducted by the APA and other organizations have revealed that those on low incomes ($40,000) and without a concession card cannot afford all their medicines.
We are calling on the major parties to lower the co-payment from $42.50 to $19.50 to enable more low-income people to afford their prescription medicines.
- Public Hospital Funding
Public hospitals around the country need an injection of funding to cope with the long waiting list for elective surgery and growing waiting times in Emergency Departments.
The AMA has called on the Federal Government to increase its share of public hospital funding from 45% to 50% to enable those improvements to happen.
We support this call.
- Aged Care Reform
Aged care has been in crisis for a long time and as a result Aged Care residents are missing out on essential care. Most Aged Care residences need to be better staffed, but this costs. We are calling on the major parties to adopt all the reforms recommended by the Royal Commission and to provide more funding to allow Aged Care residences to be appropriately staffed.
In addition, there needs to be more incentives for GPs to visit Residential Aged Care facilities.
- Preventative Health
The APA would like more investment in preventative health to reduce pressure on the health system in the longer term. Such an investment should help mitigate the onset of chronic illnesses and enable people to live longer and happier lives.
- Mental Health
Remains a key concern to the APA. Following the pandemic there has been a significant increase in the occurrence of mental health issues particularly amongst younger people who have suffered from isolations.
The Australian mental health system needs to be rebuilt to handle the growing demand for services.
Stephen Mason
CEO
4th May 2022