HSC PDHPE Core 1:
Evaluating health care in Australia
in relation to social justice
principles.
The Role of Health Care in Australia
To provide public health services, including hospitals
and administration.
Aims of health care in
Australia
To provide quality health facilities and services to
meet the needs of all Australians.
Organised, financed and delivered by both public
and private sources.
Emphasis placed on diagnosis and treatment of
illness by the medical profession.
Health care in Australia mostly about clinical
diagnosis, treatment and rehabilitation.
A shift has occurred in the role of health care, from
cure to prevention.
Range and types of health facilities and services
Institutional
(eg. hospitals,
nursing homes)
&
Non-Institutional
(eg. Medical
services, health
professionals)
PREVIOUS TERMINOLOGY
3 main categories:
1. Primary health
care.
2. Secondary care
3. Hospitals
AIHW 2014 TERMINOLOGY
Responsibility for health facilities and services
Funding for health facilities and services comes primarily from the Australian
Government, state/territory and local governments, non-government agencies and
individuals
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UTo7vVjdKtQ
Which initiative is funded by sector Y?
(A) NSW Driver Reviver program
(B) Sun Herald City to Surf fun run
(C) National Drug Strategic Framework
(D) Community before- and after-school
care program
Equity of access to health facilities & services
Equity, or ‘fairness’ to use everyday language, is at the heart of the Australian health system
Equity isn’t only bout much more than whether health services are affordable. It also
considers that:
•some people miss out because of where they live;
•others may experience a health system that does not meet their needs because of their
different culture or language;
•people with a disability or a mix of complex health problems may find that there are major
gaps in access to medical and other specialist services and the ‘system’ does not connect up
all their care needs.
How equitable is the access and support for all
sections of the community?
Medicare :
Grounded in ‘access on the basis of health needs, not ability to pay’
Points for:
PBS :
Provides timely, reliable and affordable access to necessary medicines
for Australians
Bulk-billing:
Occurs when a health
practitioner directly bills
Medicare
for
the
amount payable for a
(Equity, Diversity,
Supportive environments) service; the patient does
not have to pay
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vh99VLDJrd0
How equitable is the access and support for all
sections of the community?
Points for:
Additional government programs for the following sections of the
community:
•Indigenous chronic disease package
•War veterans
•Defence force families
(Equity, Diversity,
Supportive environments)
How equitable is the access and support for all
sections of the community?
Points for:
(Equity, Diversity,
Supportive environments)
Language support:
Telephone interpreters, website –
language text & listening options
(read speaker)
Royal flying doctors service :
Delivers both 24-hour emergency
services and everyday essential health
care in remote and rural Australia
Sometimes referred to as Horizontal Equity (eg Medicare & PBS) or
Vertical Equity (eg priority population groups – Royal Flying Doctor
service)
How equitable is the access and support for all
sections of the community?
Points against:
Access in rural and remote areas:
eg. The challenges and health problems facing Aboriginal
and Torres Strait Islander people have been well
documented .
(Equity, Diversity,
Supportive environments)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1YLdHNKeuuI
How equitable is the access and support for all
sections of the community?
Points against:
Sunday telegraph “heal the bush” campaign:
•Rural health changes needed to prevent country people drying
3yrs earlier than those in the city
•NSW rural health drive critical to equality
•Poor access to radiotherapy is killing patients
•Temora truck driver has to postpone surgery to treat his cancer
because he can’t afford the trip to Sydney
How much responsibility should the community
assume for individual health problems?
This syllabus ‘dash point’ links to the concept that health is socially constructed
Community responsibility for Mental health:
Community services help participants to overcome social isolation and increase their
connections to the community.
•Eg. Targeted Community Care Mental Health Program
•Eg. Men’s Sheds
Also referred to as
social responsibility
for health
(Supportive environments)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z5oEq2yz_3c
Health care expenditure versus expenditure on
early intervention & prevention
Health expenditure comprises recurrent and capital expenditure on hospitals, medical
services, dental services, patient transport services, other health practitioner services,
community and public health services, medications, aids and appliances, health research and
the administrative systems that support these services.
1.7% was
expenditure on
early
intervention &
prevention
Impact of emerging new treatments and technologies on
health care, eg cost & access, benefits of early detection
There is no question that early detection and
subsequent early intervention is proving to be a
significant contributor to improving health status
A natural concern that often accompanies emerging
treatments or technologies is the associated costs
Since the 1980s, advancements have been made in
the field of medical imaging that greatly enhance the
capacity to detect many health concerns, including
the presence of cancer.
Impact of emerging new treatments and technologies on
health care, eg cost & access, benefits of early detection
M-health = improved access & lower costs; helps early detection
•Smartphone
•Tablets
•Patient monitoring devices
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CmOGNfEJOcM