GRIM WARNING ON DARWIN HEALTH SERVICES

THE "DARWIN ALCOHOL AND DRUG REHAB CENTRE " (FORMERLY ROYAL DARWIN HOSPITAL) MIGHT HAVE TO BE PRIVATISED IF SERVICES ARE TO IMPROVE AND THAT IS A VERY GRIM REALITY

The health situation in Darwin is so bad the Darwin Alcohol and Drug Rehab Centre might have to be sold to a private owner in a huge bid to improve health services for the whole population of the Top End.

It is a very sad day when Darwin has lost a public hospital. Don't raise your hopes up because Darwin will certainly never have a free public hospital ever again.

Once the facility is sold to a private owner everybody will be left with no choice but to seek private health insurance cover regardless of income or miss out. Right now it is called the Darwin Alcohol and Drug Rehab Centre because the vast majority of patients with alcohol and drug issues present themselves to the facility.

So we might be left with no choice but to seek private health insurance if we all want improved health services in Darwin.

BECAUSE OF THE SITUATION MENTIONED ABOVE I HEREBY CALL FOR DRUNKS, DRUGGIES, SMOKERS AND OVERWEIGHT PEOPLE TO LOSE MEDICARE COVERAGE AND PAY FOR THEIR TREATMENT OUT OF THEIR OWN POCKETS

The staff of the Darwin Alcohol and Drug Rehab Centre are not to blame for the current crisis engulfing the Darwin health services. Instead I blame drunks, druggies, smokers and overweight people for making the Darwin Alcohol and Drug Rehab Centre the health centre it is today. If it wasn't for the culpurts the health care facility would still be called the Royal Darwin Hospital.

I hereby call on the Federal government to strip the drunks, druggies, smokers and overweight people of Medicare coverage meaning that the people targeted would have to pay the full cost of their health treatment out of their own pocket or seek private health insurance. Bear in mind the private health insurance provider can choose not to cover the people targeted for the loss of Medicare coverage. Because the people made a choice to destroy their own lives they cannot expect the taxpayer to subside them for the rest of their lives.

Because the Northern Territory government have to pay for the treatment of drunks, druggies, smokers and overweight people it has no money to develop a master plan for the future health needs of Darwinites and Top enders. That is why the government might be left with no choice but to sell Darwin Alcohol and Drug Rehab Centre to a private owner. That is why I am calling on the federal government to deny Medicare cover to drunks, druggies, smokers and overweight people by making those people pay the full cost of their own health treatmet including hospitalisation out of their own pocket.

People with more genuine cases will continue to be covered by Medicare as per usual.

William Walker