A new report into the future of healthcare delivery across Australia published by the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO), has called for a radical restructure of the system to direct it away from treating illness and more toward prevention.
CSIRO’s Future of Health report provides a list of recommendations for improving the health of people over the next 15 years, focused around five central themes.
Chief Executive of CSIRO, Larry Marshall said the themes were Empowering people; Addressing health inequity; Unlocking the value of digitised data; Supporting integrated and precision health solutions; and Integrating with the global sector.
Dr Marshall said collaboration and coordination were the keys to securing the health of current and future generations in Australia and across the globe.
“It’s hard to find an Australian who hasn’t benefitted from something we created,” Dr Marshall said., “like atomic absorption spectroscopy for diagnostics; greyscale imaging for ultrasound; the flu vaccine (Relenza); the Hendra vaccine protecting both people and animals; even the world’s first extended-wear contact lenses.”
“As the world is changing faster than ever before, we’re looking to get ahead of these changes.”
The new report says that despite ranking among the healthiest people in the world, Australians spent an average of 11 years in ill health – the highest of all the countries in the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD).
Director of Health and Biosecurity at CSIRO, Rob Grenfell said that as pressure on the healthcare system increased, costs escalated, and healthy choices competed with busier lives so a new approach was needed to ensure the health and wellbeing of Australians.
“The report stated that the cost of managing mental health related illness to be $60 billion annually, with a further $5 billion being spent on managing costs associated with obesity,” Dr Grenfell said.
He said health inequities across social, economic, and cultural measures cost Australia almost $230 billion a year.
“Unless we shift our approach to healthcare, a rising population and increases in chronic illnesses such as obesity and mental illness, will add further strain to the system,” Dr Grenfell said.
“How Australia navigates this shift over the next 15 years will significantly impact the health of the population,” he said.
The 50-page report setting out CSIRO’s finding can be accessed at this PS News link.
