Media Releases and Communiques
Joint communique
Australian Health Ministers, meeting in Adelaide today, made a series of agreements aimed at working closely together to improve the health system available to Australians.
1 August 2001
Joint communique
Australian Health Ministers, meeting in Adelaide today, made a series of agreements aimed at working closely together to improve the health system available to Australians.
"I am pleased that all State and Territory Ministers have demonstrated a willingness to work with the Commonwealth to ensure that the Australian people have access to the best possible health services," Federal Health Minister, Dr Michael Wooldridge, said at the conclusion of the session.
"This has been a most productive meeting with a number of positive outcomes demonstrating Health Ministers from across Australia have the best interests of Australians in mind when it comes to the quality and safety of our health system," South Australian Human Services Minister and Chair of the Conference, Dean Brown said.
Today's meeting decided on the following issues:
- To support a national approach to primary health and community care for all Australians. Ministers agreed to support the joint work between the Commonwealth, State and Territories to improve hospital discharge planning for people with chronic and complex conditions. Ministers agreed to promote the effective use of the Enhanced Primary Care (EPC) Medicare discharge items. This is aimed at establishing and maintaining better relationships between hospital and general practice.
- Endorsed a proposal for the Commonwealth Office of the Gene Technology Regulator to convene a Working Party to progress commitments at the last Council of Australian Government (COAG) meeting to report by the end of the year on technical issues surrounding assisted reproductive technology (ART).
- Ministers agreed to support and promote the Australian Organ Donation Register (AODR), launched by the Commonwealth in October last year, at a national and local level and for each State and Territory to put in place guidelines to ensure that access to the AODR is encouraged in all appropriate cases of brain death or pending brain death.
- Ministers welcomed the draft report on by the Australian Health Ethics Committee on community concerns about organs and tissues taken and retained at autopsy, and agreed to establish a subcommittee to continue the work of AHEC. The Subcommittee is required to develop:
- nationally agreed guidelines for an autopsy request;
- an authority form that addresses the community's concerns and expectations;
- a set of principles and a national code of practice for autopsy procedures, that include informed consent; and
- procedures for the handling and disposal of tissue and organs after the autopsy is completed.
While assisted reproductive technology is the responsibility of the States and Territories, it was agreed the Working Party would undertake initial work towards developing a framework for nationally consistent legislation to cover ART, cloning of humans and related human reproductive technologies.
- On accepting the report, The Review of the Australian Blood Banking and Plasma Product Sector, Ministers decided to investigate options for the establishment of a national blood authority, which is a key recommendation of the Review.
- Ministers reaffirmed their commitment to the adoption of national health privacy standards based on the National Health Privacy Code currently being developed by a joint Commonwealth, State and Territory Privacy Working Group. This support is another key step towards the implementation of national e-health initiatives.
- Ministers endorsed the progress on work they have commissioned to address the problem of rising medical indemnity costs and referred the issue of indemnity for midwives to this working party.
- Ministers decided to upgrade the Australian Health Workforce Advisory Committee by having it report directly to Ministers as well as to AHMAC. They also agreed to a teleconference by the end of September to reflect the urgency with which the Ministers attach to these matters.
- Ministers strongly endorsed the work of the Australian Council for Safety and Quality in Health Care (ACSQHC), following the release of its second annual report to Health Ministers Safety in Practice - Making Health Care Safer. The report was presented to the Australian Health Ministers' conference in Adelaide today by the Council's Chair, Professor Bruce Barraclough. The ACSQHC was set up following the 1999 Health Ministers' conference and its reports have been commissioned to deal with health and safety issues in health services across Australia.
- Ministers agreed to develop a nationally consistent scheme similar to the overseas-trained doctors program, to provide restricted registration in rural and remote areas as well as metropolitan and other urban areas to overseas-trained dentists with appropriate qualifications.
- Ministers agreed with the Northern Australian Ministers' proposal to develop a coordinated and consistent approach to the management of mosquito-borne diseases, including quarantine procedures to prevent their introduction, and collaborative surveillance and management to minimise their impact.
- Ministers agreed to carry out an investigation into best practice and models of care for the provision of health services to prisoners.
- Welcomed progress on the creation of a joint Australia/New Zealand Therapeutic Goods Agency to administer trans-Tasman agreement aimed at reducing regulatory and trade barriers between the two countries.
Ministers requested that a consumer representative, provider representative and a person with Health Informatics health expertise also be appointed to the board.
Huw Morgan, Media Adviser South Australian Human Services Minister and Conference Chair, Dean Brown: 0417 834 547
