Regional health gap – BCCM responds to Westfund report

Melina Morrison, CEO of the Business Council of Co-operatives and Mutuals (BCCM) provided this comment to Australian Rural & Regional News in response to the Westfund Regional Health Gap Report and commentary from Westfund CEO, Mark Genovese. Melina has also responded to some questions from ARR.News, below.

The Business Council of Co-operatives and Mutuals (BCCM) welcomes today’s [2 November 2023] report by not for profit health insurer Westfund, which highlights the disparity in health care services available to those living in regional and remote areas of Australia.

The report provides yet more evidence of the need for innovative solutions to tackle the shortage in services in these areas in order to ensure all Australians have access to the highest possible standards of care and to address the glaring shortage of workers available to provide that care. It is clear that we need solutions that are community based and structured to suit the needs of those receiving the care as well as those providing the care. The co-operative business model, with its emphasis on grass roots democratic management, and sustainability, is ideally suited to providing care services in small and under-supplied markets.

This is why the $7 million Care Together program has been tasked by the Federal Government to identify opportunities for co-operative and mutual businesses to help address shortages in the delivery of care where other models have failed.

Read the full article, Regional health gap – Business Council of Co-operatives and Mutuals responds to Westfund report, in Australian Rural & Regional News, 3 November 2023.