Discuss the benefits and challenges of increasing funding for preventive health strategies in Australia's healthcare system. (5 marks)
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Benefits of increasing prevention funding:
- [P] Preventive health strategies offer significant cost-effectiveness for Australia’s healthcare system.
- [E] This occurs because prevention programs cost much less than treating diseases after they develop, providing better value for taxpayer investment.
- [Ev] Programs like SunSmart campaigns, QUIT smoking initiatives and breast screening demonstrate how early intervention reduces expensive treatment costs for cancer and cardiovascular disease.
- [L] Therefore, increased prevention funding leads to substantial long-term savings for the healthcare system while improving population health outcomes.
However, prevention funding faces notable challenges:
- [P] Conversely, prevention benefits may take considerable time to show measurable health outcomes in the community.
- [E] This creates political and public pressure for immediate, visible results from healthcare investments rather than long-term benefits.
- [Ev] Preventive programs require sustained funding over many years before mortality and morbidity improvements become evident, making them less politically attractive than immediate treatment services.
- [L] Consequently, governments may prioritise immediate treatment services over long-term prevention strategies despite prevention representing better overall value for the healthcare system.
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Benefits of increasing prevention funding:
- [P] Preventive health strategies offer significant cost-effectiveness for Australia’s healthcare system.
- [E] This occurs because prevention programs cost much less than treating diseases after they develop, providing better value for taxpayer investment.
- [Ev] Programs like SunSmart campaigns, QUIT smoking initiatives and breast screening demonstrate how early intervention reduces expensive treatment costs for cancer and cardiovascular disease.
- [L] Therefore, increased prevention funding leads to substantial long-term savings for the healthcare system while improving population health outcomes.
However, prevention funding faces notable challenges:
- [P] Conversely, prevention benefits may take considerable time to show measurable health outcomes in the community.
- [E] This creates political and public pressure for immediate, visible results from healthcare investments rather than long-term benefits.
- [Ev] Preventive programs require sustained funding over many years before mortality and morbidity improvements become evident, making them less politically attractive than immediate treatment services.
- [L] Consequently, governments may prioritise immediate treatment services over long-term prevention strategies despite prevention representing better overall value for the healthcare system.