The " Health " Conundrum !

This week, three separate stories about problems in how " health " is delivered in this country must disappoint many people.   Either we opt to have health insurance and with that the choice of both hospital and attending doctor, or we rely on the public health system and its long waiting times.

Health insurance premiums have been steadily rising much faster than inflation and the health insurance industry has been telling us that a price increase is essential because of rising medical costs.  At a time when wage levels are stagnant - or even dropping - some families have reluctantly dropped that cover while others have made sacrifices to find the extra money.   We now learn that the health insurance industry is reporting to its shareholders record profits.  In the one breath they are crying poor when it suits them, and then announcing to the stock exchange trading profits in excess of $ 1.3 billion.    It is unlikely their next appeal for a premium increase will be so readily approved.

The people of Bega must be aghast at the report into their local hospital.  The decrepit old building that had served the district for generations was replaced with a spanking new hospital and most of its wards remain unopened, because the health authorities have not got around to hiring doctors and nurses to run the place.  The existing facilities being used are filling with cobwebs because tenders have not been let for cleaning contracts , staff morale is at rock bottom and plagued with high staff turnover and waiting times have blown out far longer than existed in the old, overworked facilities. The problem seems to be bureaucratic in-fighting.  The people being paid to make decisions and implement an efficient health system are more interested in point scoring and politics.  The people of Bega are not getting the health system they deserve.

We also learned of the sad diagnosis that is regularly occurring with those who have the misfortune to contract an unusual disease which falls outside of public benefit guidelines.  A Mum being checked for a persistent cough found that she was suffering from lung cancer, but while lung cancer is responsible for nineteen percent of deaths in Australia the variety affecting her lungs was restricted to very few people.  She was a lifelong non smoker.

The good news was that a new drug -  Crizotinib - offered hope of a cure, but it was not included in the PBS - and it cost $ 7,000 a month.  It was an agonising decision, but she decided that she would not inflict a life shattering debt on her husband and three daughters.   They were just an " ordinary " family and while some new drugs were capable of delivering " miracles " access was really restricted to those who belonged to a very wealthy class of people.

That is a decision facing a surprising number of people these days.  Obviously the public purse must have limitations and for many even a decision to opt for a cure would be impossible because of credit limitations.  In this instance, there was a happy ending.  Publicity caused the charity " Rare Cancers Australia " to intervene and raise the money,  and sixteen months after treatment this woman has returned to work and has regained her health.

It seems that the health labyrinth is still filled with obstacles and that we need a great deal of luck to avoid catastrophe.