Australian Medical Association president Brian Owler has warned the Coalition’s proposed $7 Medicare co-payment could destroy recent gains made in indigenous health by deterring people from seeking care.
The annual closing the gap report delivered by Prime Minister Tony Abbott in February showed the nation was on track to halve the gap between indigenous and non-indigenous infant mortality within the decade.
It also showed some improvement in indigenous life expectancy, but warned progress would need to accelerate considerably in order to meet the target of closing the life expectancy gap between indigenous and non-indigenous Australians by 2031.
Speaking to Fairfax Media in Alice Springs where he was touring health facilities, Associate Professor Owler said there was a risk that the proposed $7 fee and $160 million in other cuts to indigenous health programs would cause progress ”not only to stall but go backwards”.