The St Vincent de Paul Society has thrown its support behind Catholic Health Australia’s (CHA) call for poverty screening tests to be included in standard doctor’s appointments.
On October 14, CHA chief executive officer Martin Laverty told a NSW Health Ministry summit that a number of chronic diseases could be identified and treated earlier if doctors use a socioeconomic screening tool.
“The Canadian Medical Association in a July report said tackling poverty was its first priority for health care,” he said.
“Parts of Canada are now screening for poverty in doctors’ surgeries. Australia should follow suit, and address poverty as a health determinant.”
During regular consultations, Canadian patients are asked if they had difficulty making ends meet at the end of the month, Mr Laverty said.
“As patients, we are asked questions about family history, diet and risk-taking behaviours when we visit the doctor,” he said.
“By assessing for poverty alongside these other risk factors, doctors will better determine if a person has a chronic disease and treat it accordingly.”
CHA hopes the plan will be considered and utilised by all State and Territory governments.
John Falzon, the chief executive officer of the St Vincent de Paul Society, told The Record the idea was a good one.
“Preventable diseases brought about by poverty are a huge burden on our health care system, and lead to unnecessary suffering for those who are afflicted by them,” he said.
“By encouraging GPs to talk with patients about their social and economic circumstances, they will be better able to identify important risk factors and encourage prevention and early treatment where problems are identified.
“We hope that a socio-economic screening tool would also encourage GPs to form better relationships with social services and refer patients on where appropriate.”
Meanwhile, on October 16, the Society launched a report on poverty in Australia to mark anti-poverty week.
The report provides several recommendations for the government, in light of the facts on poverty in Australia.
“We are calling on the new government to revisit the recommendations of the McClure Report commissioned by the Howard government in 2000,” the Society’s national president Anthony Thornton said.
“It’s time we got serious about poverty and mustered the political will as a nation to broaden our revenue base so that we can systematically reverse the slide into two Australias.”