Healthy lifestyle programs' funding cut
The office of State Health Minister Lawrence Springborg issued details of changes to the Health Budget under the new Treasurer.
brisbanetimes.com.au state political reporter
The Newman government has cut funding for alcohol and drug prevention workers, nutrition promotion and healthy lifestyle programs as part of its latest decision to shave another $4.4 million off the annual Queensland Health grants scheme.
The state argues the federal government should boost support for preventive health programs, but the Gillard government has branded this as “a bizarre attempt to try and shift responsibility”.
A list released by Queensland Health Minister Lawrence Springborg's office this afternoon shows grants that are ending include one to the Alcohol and Drug Foundation Queensland to fund an Alcohol and Drug Prevention Worker in the Brisbane southside, Redlands, Logan and Beaudesert.
The Australian Red Cross Society loses a grant to fund an Advanced Health Worker (Nutrition Promotion) in the central-west, while Drug Arm loses funding for an Alcohol and Drug Prevention Worker on the Sunshine Coast.
The Toowoomba and District Division of General Practice loses funding for an Alcohol and Drug Prevention Worker, an Indigenous Sexual and Reproductive Health Worker, and a Healthy Lifestyle Program Co-ordinator, all in Toowoomba.
Numerous Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander groups have also lost funding for initiatives such as nutrition promotion and alcohol and drug prevention.
The government's list indicates a grant to the Australian Nutrition Foundation (Queensland Division) to fund the Healthy Tuckshop Support Program will also cease.
It is the second round of cuts announced by Mr Springborg, who first examined the grants program in June and allowed some community grounds to continue to receive funding until September while further reviews were done.
The total annual funding for projects included in the latest review was $11,887,933, according to a statement issued by Mr Springborg this morning.
He said the 2012-13 savings from discontinued projects would total $3,359,632, while annual savings from 2013-14 onwards would be $4,412,875.
Continuing projects were worth $7,182,606 a year, the statement said.
Mr Springborg said discontinued programs included those that were the domain of the federal government, were funded under the now-expired ‘Queensland Chronic Diseases Strategy’ or “did not support core clinical services”.
Mr Springborg's spokesman said of the 59 projects reviewed from 32 organisations, 20 projects (from 13 organisations) would continue, including one with reduced funding.
Funding for 35 projects from 25 organisations would not continue, while four projects would transfer to a new provider.
At a media conference this afternoon, Premier Campbell Newman backed Mr Springborg over the cuts to drug and alcohol and nutrition grants.
“The Minister has been charged with making the tough decisions and he’s doing that on the advice of the health professionals in his department, so yes,” he said when asked if he was comfortable with the health grant cuts announced today.
In June, a first round of funding cuts saw a range of groups lose part or all of their Queensland Health funding.
At the time, Family Planning Queensland learnt it would lose some of its funding, while Queensland Health also announced it would wind up grant funding to other groups that ran “healthy lifestyle” programs in various parts of the state, along with sponsorship of a mental health advocacy body.
In June, numerous indigenous health organisations appeared on a list of 59 projects that would have three months of extra funding, ahead of a more detailed review to determine their future funding.
It is understood Mr Springborg was keen to reduce duplication and encourage greater co-ordination among the various indigenous health groups.
In today's statement, Mr Springborg said state grants to non-government health providers had been wound back as the state looked to the federal government for long-promised increases in support for primary and preventive health through the Australia-wide ‘Medicare Local’ network.
“Australia-wide, Medicare Locals are expected to support and embed prevention at different levels of the system as a core part of their work,” Mr Springborg said.
“The commonwealth requires they pursue 'initiatives in general practice and primary health care designed to improve disease prevention and management and improve access to services'.
“Like other states, Queensland has changed to meet the reform agenda and that includes a greater commonwealth contribution to prevention measures and to allied health.
“Like the former divisions of general practice now engaged in Medicare Locals, we are still waiting for the federal government to honour its side of the bargain.”
Mr Springborg said Medicare Locals were to be accountable to the Australian National Preventive Health Agency, formed to drive change and innovation around preventive health policies and programs including plans for mass media campaigns.
“Under National Health Reform, Queensland Health would continue to provide supplementary enabling functions such as health and medical research co-ordination, public health epidemiology and public health data management led by the Chief Health Officer,” the statement said.
“A reduced number of preventive health programs provided by the state would retain a significant impact as Medicare Locals began to fulfil their prescribed function.”
Federal Health Minister Tanya Plibersek said Mr Springborg’s excuse for cutting the funding was “a bizarre attempt to try and shift responsibility”.
“As Australian government funding increases, Queensland should at least maintain state funding,” she said in a statement.
“It’s not fair to the people of Queensland that the Queensland government is using increased commonwealth funding as a weak excuse to cut state health funding.”
Ms Plibersek said the Gillard government was investing about $171 million per year for the operation of Medicare Locals, more than double the $85 million spent annually on the predecessor Divisions of General Practice Program.
She said the decision to cut funding was made solely by the Newman government without consultation with relevant stakeholders such as the federal government or relevant Medicare Locals.
Ms Plibersek said she was extremely concerned about what the cuts could mean to the provision of preventive health and other programs.
“It appears that the Newman government is simply washing its hands of the services previously provided by these non-government grant recipients,” she said.
Queensland Labor health spokeswoman Jo-Ann Miller said preventive health programs were designed to stop people getting sick before they need the services of the state’s hospitals and medical community.
“By cutting them, you increase the burden on our public health system,” she said.
Earlier, Mr Springborg said the second round of reductions to the Queensland Health grants program would apply from the end of this month.
He said this included the “specific consideration” of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander programs “to eliminate duplication and rationalise services between providers”.
Despite the funding cuts, Mr Springborg said a “wide cross-section of grants” reviewed since June 30 would continue through the coming financial year.
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Queensland Health Cuts
The office of Stae Health Minister Lawrence Springborg issued details of changes to the Health Budget under the new Treasurer.