Preventative health again misses out in NSW budget

Inspite of the NSW Government's announcement of a health budget of $1.2 billion, the YMCA has highlighted that preventative health has again been overlooked in favour of infrastructure.

Commenting on the 2013/14 NSW health budget announced today (18th June), YMCA Chief Executive Phillip Hare stated "the NSW Government will be spending 60 times more on infrastructure than it will be on preventative health.

"The Government has given us a sickness budget, not a health budget; a health budget would provide for services that create a healthier NSW.

"We need to keep people out of hospitals in the first place. More money invested today into preventative health measures, will save money tomorrow."

As a not-for-profit and the largest provider of aquatic and recreation management services in Australia, the Y is calling on the NSW Government to direct greater funding into preventative health services that foster strong, healthy families and communities.

Hare added "for less than 10% of the announced infrastructure spends, the Government could provide for four fully-equipped, preventative health community centres in communities in need as identified in the YMCA's Communities In Need Indicators Report to the Government.

"The Y's focus on healthy living, through the delivery of family-friendly, proactive health and fitness programs and services in more than 120 communities in NSW, could be strengthened by Government support directed towards preventative health measures.

"In their own strategy, NSW 2021: A plan to make NSW Number One Again, the Government state that they will focus on reducing overweight and obesity rates, reducing potentially preventable hospitalisations and improving outcomes in mental health. This will not happen with a continued focus on infrastructure spend; preventative health needs a look-in."

The YMCA acknowledges that the NSW Government on the existing preventative health spend that covers the Healthy Children Initiative, Healthy Workers Initiative and community pharmacies program but believes that a hub that provides these services in a targeted fashion is currently lacking in NSW.