No. 17

	$751 MILLION RECORD SPENDING ON HEALTH SERVICES 

ACT Health services will continue to expand as a result of the 2006-07 ACT Budget, Deputy Chief Minister and Minister for Health Katy Gallagher said today.

“Indeed, the Health portfolio has received record planned expenditure of $751.2 million in 2006–07, an increase of $61.2 million, or 8.9 per cent, over 2005–06,” Ms Gallagher said.

Ms Gallagher said the Budget had also provided ACT Health with $21 million in major capital works funding.  

She said highlights of the Budget for Health were:

•	In excess of $32 million over four years to enable health care in the Territory to grow to meet demands

“These funds will go towards increasing the capacity of our public hospitals to treat the critically ill, directly addressing the growing need for cancer and aged care services, and providing community-based health services,” she said.

o	Of these funds, $5 million had been allocated to provide additional critical care bed capacity across the ACT public hospital and health care system.

“The additional capacity will be a combination of emergency department, intensive care unit and high dependency unit staff and beds. This will allow the rapid transfer of critically ill patients to a critical care environment following assessment via the emergency departments, significant trauma and significant life threatening surgery.”
   
o	$2.2 million over four years for Capital Region Cancer Services to employ additional specialist staff, enhance access to high cost pharmaceutical treatments, medical oncology and ongoing care options for people with cancer.

o	$6 million over four years to provide a range of initiatives, all of which directly address the growing need for essential hospital and community based aged care services.

o	$5 million over four years to increase the number of specialist mental health providers, including consumer and carer positions and to provide supported accommodation for young people.

o	$2 million over four years in growth funding to support the provision of community-based services, predominantly to older people and those with chronic disease within the ACT community.

o	$12m over four years to enhance acute bed capacity in the ACT and build on the 2005‑06 Budget commitment of 20 extra beds, which are already in place.

•	An additional $2.5 million to reduce the number of patients waiting for elective surgery and increase the number of elective procedures performed annually in the ACT health system.

This amount will increase incrementally over the next four years to reach $2.693 million in the 2009–10 financial year — a total of $10.4 million over four years.

“This additional funding will contribute to a continued reduction in the numbers of patients waiting excessive periods of time for access to elective surgery. It will provide for an additional 350 elective procedures in 2006–07 on top of the record target of 9000 set for 2005-06,” Ms Gallagher said.

•	$10.6 million over four years in operating costs and capital of $18.7 million to begin the process to purchase and maintain new linear accelerator machines for the Radiation Oncology Department at The Canberra Hospital.

•	$3 million over four years to assist the ACT’s participation on the National e-Health Transition Authority (NEHTA).

e-Health is the electronic management of health information to deliver safer, more efficient, and better quality healthcare.

“Electronic health information (or e-Health) systems that can securely and efficiently exchange data can significantly improve how important clinical and administrative information is communicated between healthcare professionals,” Ms Gallagher said.

•	$3.2 million over four years for the promotion of mental health and prevention and early intervention of mental illness.