Our health system is staffed by committed and extremely talented workers and researchers, and we’re lucky to have it.
It’s a good system, but it’s not working for all of us.
People struggling on low incomes delay medical and dental treatment due to cost. Shamefully, the life expectancy of Indigenous Australians is around a decade less than non-Indigenous Australians.
We need to focus more on prevention, not just crisis response.
A huge proportion of the health problems we deal with could be prevented by living healthier lifestyles. One third of Victorian adults are overweight and 18.8% are obese. Around a quarter of children are overweight or obese. Excellent work has been done to reduce rates of cancer, but we’re still seeing unacceptably high levels of illness that are hurting people, families and communities – and could easily by prevented.
The Greens believe that access to quality, affordable health care is a basic human right. The Greens goal is for all Victorians to live the healthiest lives possible, with the ability to access good quality and affordable health services as needed, and to be well supported at the ends of their lives.
The Greens will improve our health system by:
- Focusing on prevention as a priority will enable us to reduce rates of preventable illness and disease, supporting Victorians to live healthier, happier lives. Our plan would invest heavily in public information and engagement, increase advertising restrictions for junk food and alcohol, and ban sugary drinks from public health facilities and schools. Read our detailed policy here [PDF]
- Boosting community health and dental services by investing $364 million over the next four years. This funding would scale up community health services across the state with a focus on key growth areas, double the number of eligible patients accessing public dental treatment, and support hospital/health centre partnerships to reduce pressures on emergency departments. Read our detailed policy here [PDF]
- Supporting the health of Aboriginal Victorians by investing in health and social services, and establishing a Commissioner for Aboriginal Health. Read our plan for Aboriginal Health and Healing here
- Supporting Victorian women by boosting women’s health services across the state; improving access to sexual and reproductive health services; and tackling the harmful impacts of sexualised advertising, media, and culture more broadly.
- Investing in sexual and reproductive health services to improve access to family planning, contraception and abortion, and reduce rates of sexually transmitted infections. This would include a $5 million investment to establish two new sexual health centres in Victoria.