Two Tiers (Part the First)

In considering the state of the Australian health system, it is probably useful to be able to compare it to those of other countries.

Dr Dork, however, has firsthand experience of only a few different Australian states, and a relatively brief period of working in the UK last century.

Australia, in theory, has a comprehensive public healthcare system. Dr Dork believes this is important. As Dr Crippen puts succinctly in regards to the ideological goal of the NHS in Britain:

“the concept of a decent standard of health care for all, independent of means.”

Dr Dork comes from a similar perspective. He believes access to quality, timely, comprehensive healthcare is a fundamental right of all Australian citizens. Like the right to speak freely, to dress as one chooses (within reason), to hold a protest march, to worship one’s chosen deity, to vote as one pleases to.

Not a privilege for those who can afford it. We’re not talking about caviar. Life, and death, are often at stake.

As far as Dr Dork can tell, the UK and Canada, as other vassals of the Commonwealth, also aim towards the provision of universal healthcare. With limited success, at times. To say the least.

No system attempting to manage such a vast, unpredictable yawning abyss of expenditure can be perfect. Where much of the disdain is directed, it seems, is the gross inefficiency of current systems. The administrative bungling of the NHS and Oz’s public hospitals. The obscene corporate profits of the private US insurers.

Australia has been, at the Federal level, under the sway of the conservative, right-wing Liberal party for a decade. For US readers, we find the name ironic as well. At the State level however, the Labor party runs the show. They are relatively left-wing, and historically Labor draws its power from the unions, the Libs from business and corporate interests. There are also the Greens and the Democrats, but neither has come close to holding the balance of power.

So every single time there is another health crisis - and various aspects of the system are often overloaded, some constantly - the same dance occurs. The States blame the Federal government. The Federal blames the States. Nothing gets done. The media moves on to dead donkeys.

This is not a topic that is lightly broached. Dr Dork is very interested in hearing the perspectives of those who have experienced multiple disparate healthcare systems, as doctor, nurse, allied health staff and, especially, as patient.

Dr Dork is just laying some groundwork today.



To be continued.