Upon appearing on the Country Viewpoint program this week, the Member for Mallee Anne Webster called into question some of the government’s current health initiatives.
The Shadow Assistant Minister for Regional Health expressed her concerns for those living in remote and regional parts of the country suffering from Type 1 diabetes after it was recently revealed that Fiasp insulin has been removed from the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme.
Fiasp insulin is a fast-acting insulin, allowing diabetes sufferers to gain better control of rising and dropping sugar levels.
“It is really deeply concerning…the automatic insulin pump means that people can get on with their day and night, I might say, because it's often blood sugars will drop during the night and people can end up with hypos during the night – [with the] insulin pump at work, you don't have to worry about that because they're always testing your body and ensuring that the right amount of insulin is being provided,” Webster explained.
“It is a total game changer for those who unfortunately have to live with type 1 diabetes.
I think it was a huge mistake, the government taking it off the PBS and I will continue to fight for it to be put back on the PBS.”
Another topic which drew the ire of Webster was that of the federal government’s recent 24/7 nurses in aged care facilities initiative.
Webster questioned the logistics behind the decision, arguing that financial sustainability is unrealistic for many institutions, as well as pointing out that the current worker shortage is also not improving.
“We do not have enough nurses. Many of the aged care facilities in my electorate are relying on agency nurses who are very expensive and sometimes they come for a two-week stint or a four-week stint and end up just handing in their tag on the desk as they walk out midway through a shift,” Webster said.
“I mean it's not reliable, it's not sustainable and it's certainly not sustainable financially. The government has had to backtrack on ensuring that this was in place by July 1 because it's just not going to be and they realize that.
I have aged care homes who are just feeling so desperate about ensuring that they can continue to provide aged care homes for people in their towns, in their smaller communities and this pressure from the government, which they're not entirely taking away, though it's still pressure to ensure that it takes place, will seize the viability of these homes come into question.”
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