If the Government reduces the safety net percentage for fertility treatment and pregnancy related medical rebates, firstly it is a direct discrimination against women. Secondly, it will directly impact the demand for services in public hospitals. The Royal Hospital for Women in Randwick has already indicated it has more bookings for births this year than it is equipped and funded to handle. New mothers are being sent home as early as four hours after giving birth as a result. Next door at Prince of Wales Private, they are shuffled off to a local hotel! All in the name of saving money and keeping beds available. We urgently need to repopulate to replace the tax payers who are retiring. Population begins with conception and birth. This, at least, is one fundamental truth that the Howard Government understood.
Threatened changes to the Safety Net
Bookmarks