Australian Gov't To Subsidise More Doctor Visits Under Healthcare Funding Boost

CANBERRA, Feb 23 (Bernama-Xinhua) -- Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has announced a US$5.4 billion funding boost for the nation's universal healthcare system to cover the cost of more doctor visits, reported Xinhua.

In a major pre-election policy commitment, Albanese and Health Minister Mark Butler on Sunday promised A$8.5 billion (US$5.4 billion) in additional funding over four years for Medicare.

Albanese described the funding as a "legacy-defining" package and the largest single investment in Medicare since the universal healthcare system was established in 1984.

According to the government, the funding will ensure that 90 per cent of visits by Australians to general practitioners (GPs) will be fully subsidised, or bulk billed, under Medicare by 2030.

"I want every Australian to know that they only need their Medicare card, not their credit card, to receive the healthcare they need," Albanese told a party event in the island state of Tasmania.

"No Australian should have to check their bank balance to see if they can afford to see a doctor. That is not who we are, that is not the future we want."

The nationwide bulk billing rate for GP appointments fell from 89 per cent in 2020 to 77 per cent in 2023, according to the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare.

Albanese and Butler said that the new funding would also cover 400 nursing scholarships and 2,000 new GP trainees per year by 2028.

The announcement was made ahead of the general election, which must be held by May 17.

Opinion polling has suggested that the election is set to be a tight race between Albanese's Labor Party and the coalition of the Liberal and National parties led by Peter Dutton.

Albanese on Sunday said that a stronger Medicare system would be the "beating heart" of Labor's re-election campaign.

"Labor built Medicare for Australia and it was built on the Australian values of fairness and opportunity for all. We don't want our health system to be more American," he said.

 Advocacy group General Practice Registrars Australia (GPRA) welcomed Sunday's announcement as "historic" and a "game changer" for the future of the workforce.

Responding to the announcement, Dutton pledged that a Coalition government would match the funding boost.  

-- BERNAMA-XINHUA