Strong GP support for subsidised children’s health checks

Results from the most recent newsGP weekly poll suggest young patients and their families would benefit greatly from the introduction of subsidised children’s health checks.
 
Nearly half (48%) of the 581 respondents said they had more than 100 patients on their practice’s books who would make use of the checks, while a further 13% estimated that it would help 50–100 children from their clinic.
 
Funding for universal annual children’s health checks for the first 2000 days is one of the RACGP’s key asks ahead of this year’s Federal Budget, with President Dr Nicole Higgins saying it would help all children get an equal start in life.
 
‘We know more needs to be done to improve access to affordable care for all Australians,’ she said.
 
‘Just last week, the Productivity Commission released data showing the number of Australians who delayed or avoided seeing their doctor because they could not afford it almost doubled in the last year.
 
‘Funding for universal children’s health checks is one of several measures in our pre-Budget submission that will improve access to affordable care, make Australia healthier, and reduce pressure on our hospitals and ambulances.’
 
Dr Higgins went on to say that missing out on ‘essential’ care while a child is young can impact the rest of their life.
 
‘The evidence shows the first 2000 days is a critical time which sets a child up for life. What happens in this period has lifelong impacts on a person’s physical and mental health,’ she said.
 
‘This is why the NDIS review recommended children’s health checks be expanded and made nationally consistent, so no child misses out, and any issues are identified early and managed.’
 
Dr Higgins also urged the Federal Government to use the next Budget to continue its work to strengthen Medicare, and improve access to affordable care, starting with critical health checks for children.
 
‘General practice keeps people healthy, and it needs to be affordable for everyone,’ she said.
 
‘It is the smartest and most cost-effective investment the Government can make.
 
‘If we can improve the health of people in poor or fair health, the Productivity Commission found it would result in an extra $4 billion GDP growth annually – this was calculated in 2017, so it would likely be much more today, given the increasing burden of disease.’
 
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Federal Budget Medicare children’s health checks paediatrics