Indigenous groups warn the government that charging people to see doctors will increase inequality. Source: AAP
THE Abbott government’s plan to charge sick people to see their doctors will contradict its aim of closing the gap on indigenous health.
That’s the view of almost a dozen Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health groups that met in Canberra on Tuesday to protest proposed budget cuts.
They’ve called on the government to quarantine Aboriginal health services from funding cuts and extend their contracts from one year to five.
But they’re more concerned over the proposed $7 GP co-payment they fear will hurt the indigenous community especially hard.
The coalition of 10 health groups argue the fee will run contrary to the principles of health equity outlined in the Closing The Gap statement.
“Introducing co-payments will not serve to close the gap in health outcomes; it will only widen the gap between our people and the rest of the community,” Winnunga Nimmityjah Aboriginal Health Service chief executive Julie Tongs said in a statement.
Ms Tongs said indigenous Australians were already disadvantaged when it came to health, but the money spent on alleviating that was already low compared to the rest of the community.
She welcomed the opportunity for further talks with the government.