AMAV VICDOC Winter 2024 - Magazine - Page 61
The AMA is a strong advocate of
inter-governmental collaboration in
healthcare to create an efficient and
strong system across the country.
—
In December, we updated our position
statement on road user safety and called
on the federal government to mandate
a requirement for state and territory
governments to start sharing road
safety data.
During the 12 months to March this year,
1286 people lost their lives on Australian
roads — an 8.2 per cent increase from the
previous 12-month period.
It is disappointing that something as
simple as a national data set to provide
better understanding of the causes of
crashes is not available.
By having these crucial insights and data,
investments can be guided to where they
are need most — in effective road safety
and transport infrastructure policy.
Something so simple could save so many
lives, and reduce the death and trauma
that doctors, ambulance officers and nurses
are confronted with every day on our roads.
But sharing such data requires buy-in from
not only the federal government, but all
state and territory governments.
Homelessness is another area where
intergovernmental collaboration could
save lives.
It is shocking that so many Australians
experiencing homelessness are dying
at an average age of 44, as a year-long
investigation by The Guardian revealed.
If it wasn’t for journalists scouring a
decade’s worth of non-public death
reports to state and territory coroners
and conducting extensive interviews,
this shameful national tragedy may
never have been fully uncovered.
The AMA sees great benefit in
creating a national reporting framework
to provide consistent data and provide a
complete picture on the very real issue of
homelessness deaths in Australia.
The AMA is serious about
intergovernmental collaboration, and
while we are glad to see strides made
in certain healthcare areas, there is still
much to be desired.
With just a bit of political will from
our governments, Australia’s already
world-leading health system could be
made even stronger and many more
lives could be saved.
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