Funding cuts to health organisations at odds with Sustainable Health Review recommendations

Greens spokesperson for Health Hon Alison Xamon MLC has questioned the Government’s commitment to adopting recommendations set out in the Sustainable Health Review interim report, since it has already eroded services delivering the recommended outcomes.

Ms Xamon said while she was pleased the interim report recommended such common sense approaches as increasing focus on preventative health and telehealth services, McGowan Government funding cuts had diminished services and infrastructure already in place.

“Organisations such as Coeliac WA, The Bump WA and ConnectGroups have proven track records in preventative health and ultimately delivering savings over the longer term – yet all three have lost funding in the past year,” Ms Xamon said. 

“In the case of Coeliac WA, we know that one in 70 Western Australians have coeliac disease. 

“We know that the effects of its poor management result in significant costs to the health system elsewhere. 

“Apart from the fact that it means that people are less likely to live good and productive lives, it also means that government will spend more money as people end up in our expensive hospital system.”

Ms Xamon said the last budget also included funding cuts to Community Resource Centres which serve as a key piece of infrastructure for the delivery of telehealth services across regional WA. 

She said Community Resource Centres made essential government services accessible.

 “These cuts are short sighted – and completely at odds with the recommendations outlined in the interim report,” Ms Xamon said.

“I call on the government to take heed of the report’s findings and reconsider these ill-thought out funding decisions.”