Vic psychiatrists want more spending on public sector psychiatric services
Victorian psychiatrists have called on the State Government to increase funding for psychiatric services in the public sector following the new Medicare mental health funding initiatives.
The Chair of the Victorian branch of the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists (RANZCP), Professor Graham Burrows, said the Federal Government was to be commended for increasing patient access to expert assistance from private psychiatrists, general practitioners and paramedical professionals.
He said these initiatives had to be matched by increased State expenditure on public sector psychiatric services.
Professor Burrows, who is the Clinical Director of Psychiatry at Melbourne’s Austin Hospital and the Chairman of the Mental Health Foundation of Australia, said there was an imbalance in the provision of services for the mentally ill across the State.
“The public mental health system needs an increase in workforce in many disciplines but it is currently inadequately funded in many areas.
“At a State level, the RANZCP has urged all sides of politics to pledge greater funding to ensure the needs of the mentally ill, in terms of service integration and needs, can be met, particularly in outer suburban and rural areas of Victoria,” Professor Burrows said.
