Richmond Labor MP Justine Elliot has condemned the Turnbull government for its refusal to grant a full Medicare magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) licence for the Tweed Hospital.
Health minister, Sussan Ley has responded to representations by refusing to grant the licence, saying only that ‘additional expenditure will be considered when it is responsible to do so.’
‘This is totally unacceptable and highlights yet again why locals do not trust the Liberal Nationals. We’re not asking for anything extravagant, we just want our fair share of medical services for the people in our region,’ Ms Elliot said.
In the letter, which has been sighted by Echonetdaily, minister Ley said, ‘the government believes that all Australians should have access to an affordable, quality health care system regardless of whether they live in the city or regional areas.’
But she added, ‘the government is also committed to ensuring the long-term viability of Medicare. Policy priorities will be considered within this context and additional expenditure will be considered when it is responsible to do so.
‘This would include any considerations expanding Medicare eligibility for MRI units.
‘Should an opportunity arise to apply for MRI Medicare eligibility, my department will notify relevant radiology industry groups,’ Ms Ley wrote.
Broken promises
But Ms Elliot said the refusal was another example of the federal government running down Medicare and the state government restricting hospital funding.
‘This refusal comes on top of Nationals MP Geoff Provest’s broken election promises for funds to upgrade the Tweed Hospital,’ she said.
‘More harsh actions by the Liberal Nationals’ include: the GP tax by freezing the Medicare bulk billing rebates; increasing fees for pathology and bulk billing’ and increasing costs for prescription medicines
‘I stand with our community and will continue to call on the Turnbull government to commit to a full Medicare MRI licence at the Tweed hospital and I urge locals to sign my petition,’ Ms Elliot said.
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