The first half of 2025 will see the proverbial babies kissed to within an inch of their lives as both WA and Australia have elections by May. History tells us that no first-term government has been ejected federally since 1931 and the WA government has a majority the size of the great outdoors.
However, we live in interesting times. Fun fact – apparently this is not an ancient or Confucian saying but was coined by Englishman Frederic Coudert prior to World War II – “One senses that nothing is off the table”.
Health will figure in both campaigns. At a State level, we will hear about plans to fix ambulance ramping, while in reality it increases each year. We will hear about plans for new facilities which won’t open until the 2030s and “investment” in the health system, whatever that means.
Federally, we hear about “strengthening Medicare”, bulk billing rates and also that vague notion of investing in health. Given the bare cupboard nature of federal finances, there seems little prospect of any increase in real-dollar terms.
Back in the real world, the public find it increasingly difficult to access health services and this is not because they may have to pay. It is because demand, fuelled by immigration, an ageing population and other forces, is outstripping supply which is about to fall off a demographic cliff. In addition, each time Ahpra (and with GPs the RACGP) adds extra busy work, more doctors elect to pull up stumps or reduce their hours.
The time and effort devoted to forms, accreditation and governance has passed a tipping point and is in counterproductive territory. The pendulum needs to swing back towards the primary role of the doctor being the needs of the individual patient rather than a third party.
Apparently, Pluto entered Aquarius in November and will remain there for 20 years. This happens roughly every 240 years. The last cycle saw the French revolution, American declaration of independence and arrival of the First Fleet. So far, we have seen the French government collapse and a form of revolution in the US. Go figure!
What we need in 2025 is less interference/bureaucracy in the practice of medicine and a return towards the individual doctor patient relationship as the cornerstone. My wish is that we take at least baby steps in this direction regardless of who wins the elections.