World Health Day calls for action Mr Rudd

07-April-2009

On World Health Day 2009, Federal Liberal Member for Indi Sophie Mirabella MP, criticised the Rudd and Brumby Government’s blatant neglect of local hospitals and our health system.

“Kevin Rudd went to the last election promising to fix hospitals and revolutionise our health system. He has failed to address that since coming to office, he has let down working families, pensioners and residents.”

“Fixing the hospitals and supporting local Doctors has become another Rudd broken election promise. Mrs Mirabella said.

“It is totally astounding that the Rudd Government promised to fix the very hospitals their State Labor Governments are in charge of and have shamefully neglected for decades.”

“Perhaps instead of making grand big statements, and promising the moon and the sky, Mr Rudd could pull his Labor Premiers into line who have failed so miserably at supporting and promoting our nations hospitals,” Mrs Mirabella said.

Mrs Mirabella signalled out the Rudd Government’s attempts to

• Abolish the Medicare Dental Scheme
• Slug Australians with an alcopops tax instead of addressing binge drinking
• Abolishing the rebate which covers pathology tests
• Feared cuts to the Medicare safety net in the coming budget
• Changes to the RRMA classifications which will lead to less incentives for doctors to train in the bush and the possible closure of rural hospitals
• Failure to hold their State Labor Governments accountable for mismanagement

“The Rudd Labor Government has a long way to go in delivering their pre election promise. However I fear like all their election rhetoric and Kevin 07 hype, the plan to fix the hospitals will end up in the too hard basket and then becoming another causality of Rudd Labor lies and incompetence,” Mrs Mirabella said.

“The Rudd and Brumby Government’s should use April 7 (World Health Day) to put forward a plan to address growing waiting lists, sky rocketing health costs and funding cuts to public hospitals.”