Hundreds of delegates and speakers are gathering in Sydney for Catholic Health Australia’s annual conference “Rejoice, Reimagine”, which begins today.
This year’s conference comes at a crucial time for Australia’s health and aged care sector. The industry is being squeezed with the rising costs of delivering care, falling income and a national health care policy that needs refocusing – and many of those at the margins of society are falling between the cracks.
“Our not-for-profit hospitals are needed more than ever, however, funding from insurers is failing to keep up with the soaring cost of providing health care, which is putting them under incredible pressure,” said Dr Katharine Bassett, CHA’s director of health policy.
Some hospitals have already broken, with more than 70 private hospital services across the sector closing in the last five years. Most members of CHA are charities that forgo profits so they can pass the benefits on to their patients to ensure no one is left behind.
CHA said it believes the government’s response to the private hospital viability issues is encouraging. A review is under way to analyse the problem, which will create a platform for funding and structural reform.
Over the next couple of days, CHA will bring together some of the industry’s hospital leaders, policy makers, and analysts to continue these important conversations and examine how they can work together to best deliver CHA’s mission of providing services to those who need them most.
FULL STORY
Rejoice, Reimagine – an opportunity to refocus health care (By Tim Johnston, CHA)
