May 10: Following the release of the 2011 Federal Budget, industry experts share their instant views on what implications the budget will have on the health & ageing sector:
Mental health is the centrepiece of the $3 billion Federal Budget healthcare funding package, with Treasurer Wayne Swan allocating $2.2 billion over five years on a National Mental Health Reform package.
However, Medicines Australia chief executive Brendan Shaw said the budget was a “major disappointment” for failing to make important medicines available on the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme.
LEON SHOHMELIAN, SOLICITOR, ATKINSON VINDEN LAWYERS
"I welcome the $2.2 billion commitment to mental health, but in my view, the Budget was pretty disappointing from an aged care point of view in that it didn't introduce many measures from a Productivity Commission Report calling for more direct funding for aged care services. In that aspect, the Budget was pretty disappointing.
"There is a shortage of aged care facilities and the Budget didn't address that."
BRENDAN SHAW, CHIEF EXECUTIVE, MEDICINES AUSTRALIA
"We welcome the mental health reform package and support that as it is a major problem in Australia.
"But the Budget was a major disappointment in that it had a major opportunity to put the schizophrenia treatment Invega Sustenna on the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS) and it failed to do that.
"It doesn't make sense that the Government will give on the one hand with the mental health package but make a political decision to exclude treatments from the PBS. The government has deferred putting medications on the PBS for purely fiscal reasons, as this treatment was recommended for the PBS by the governments own expert.
"I thought the government had a golden opportunity to list medicines, but it has deferred that and missed the opportunity."
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