Like most industrialized nations, Australia is no different when it comes to the main driver of its healthcare system…Sick Care.
What is “sick care?” It’s a system based on the reactive and acute treatment of urgent issues as well as the episodic management of chronic illness.
When someone becomes injured or sick, they seek out treatment from their primary care providers. The system reacts to this demand by providing efficient diagnosis and treatment of acute illnesses. For the most part, this model has been effective in managing emergency and acute care. Many lives have been saved and will be continued to be saved with this medical model.
However, this reactive, sick care system was not designed to promote the health of its population nor prevent the onset of disease. This is where the current system fails miserably.
With an acute care model deeply ingrained within the healthcare culture, the inability to focus on disease prevention and continuity of care for chronic disease has led to escalating costs and increased demand for healthcare services. The current healthcare infrastructure is feeling the burden.
Ultimately, for the system to be sustainable and to keep its population healthy and thriving, there’s need to be a massive shift from this reactive approach of treating illness to a more people-centered, proactive strategy of preventing disease and keeping people healthy.
Key change makers are recognizing the need for this transformation and are implementing change to make this happen. PwC’s report of ‘Reimagining Healthcare in Australia: Budget 2017 – Progress Towards Reform” emphasizes the importance of consumer empowerment through education as well as wellness and prevention strategies to lead this reform.
This is also the main focus for the Australian Health Promotion Association; an organization that is deeply concerned about the health of all Australians and is putting pressure on the government to make a change.
The main culprits of chronic disease continue to be unhealthy eating, physical inactivity, tobacco use, and alcohol consumption. This information is nothing new. However, it should be stressed that these risk factors may increase the incidence of disease ten times more than any other risk factor.
The opportunity for a proactive healthcare approach lies within the ability to change or modify these risk factors. Since these factors are preventable, the onset of lifestyle-related diseases can be significantly reduced.
This is a win-win for everyone involved. When our people are healthy, there is less demand for healthcare services which drastically lowers the operating costs of the already strained healthcare system.
According to a press release in June 2016 by the Australian Health Promotion Association urging the government to allocate more funding to health promotion and prevention, they said that:
“Our governments must know that health promotion is the answer. It not only saves thousands of lives every year, it also saves us money: for every dollar spent on health promotion, our health system will save five dollars within five years.”
Consider some of these jurisdictions that are firm believers in the benefits of health promotion and are effectively taking action to keep its people healthy and happy…
The NSW Office of Preventive Health implemented a Healthy Children Initiative in 2012 aimed at promoting healthy eating and physical activity among preschool and school children. The results show that the childhood obesity rate for that area is now dropping off.
The Healthy Together Victoria initiative founded in 2011 focused on obesity and chronic disease prevention through promoting health-enhancing behaviors and creating supportive environments for change. They reached more than one million Victorians.
Knowing that a little prevention can go a long way will help inspire major players within the healthcare sector to keep moving forward with innovative and community-driven ways to keep all Australians healthy and strong. This is definitely something to strive for.
How are you implementing preventive health care programs or promoting preventive healthcare in your organization to help the Australians you serve?
Leave your comments below, and let us know.
References:
- https://www.pwc.com.au/health/pwc-healthbudgetresponse-2017.pdf
- https://www.budgetdirect.com.au/blog/the-rising-cost-of-australian-health-care.html
- https://www.marsdd.com/news-and-insights/transforming-health-shifting-from-reactive-to-proactive-and-predictive-care/
- https://www.healthpromotion.org.au