A re-elected Labor Government will extend the GP after-hours hot line to include video calls, to take advantage of the growth of broadband and allow anxious parents to show doctors a sick child, Prime Minister Julia Gillard says.
Ms Gillard has announced a series of health promises, worth almost $400 million, at Labor's campaign launch in Brisbane today.
She said Labor would expand the GP after hours helpline so it could to provide online triage and basic medical advice via videoconferencing, at a cost of $50 million. This would begin July 2012.
She gave the example of parents of a child who has a rash. Instead of trying to describe it over the phone, and being anxious they have described it properly, they would be able to show it to a medical professional who could tell them whether they needed to go straight to hospital, see their doctor the next day, or if there was nothing to worry about.
She also announced Labor would offer Medicare rebates for online consultations across a range of specialties, providing about 495,000 services over four years to rural, remote and outer metropolitan areas, at a cost of $250.5 million.
GPs and specialists will be encouraged to deliver online services through $56.8 million in financial incentives. Another $35 million will go to training health professionals using online technologies.
Ms Gillard opened her speech by paying tribute to her predecessor, Kevin Rudd.
''Can I acknowledge too, Kevin Rudd who is with us today, a man of great achievements with great achievements to lie in the future for our nation, thank you Kevin,'' she said.
She was introduced by another former Labor prime minister, Bob Hawke.
Mr Hawke told the party faithful he hoped Ms Gillard would break his record as Australia's longest-serving Labor prime minister.
He likened deciding who to vote for to buying a car or betting on a horse.
''You need to look at the form,'' he said.
''We have the form, the record, the policies and the leader.''
Source: The Canberra Times
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