The Preventative Health Taskforce will revolutionise healthcare
Check out our exclusive interview with Rob Moodie, the chair of the Australian Preventative Health Taskforce, about Kevin Rudd’s bold ambition to make Australia the most healthiest nation in the world by 2020.
Rudd is hoping to turn this exciting dream into a reality by creating a radical preventative health strategy for the nation. Moodie told ThePHJ.com he is confident it will be possible to bring this inspiring vision to life.
Before Rob Moodie was assigned to head the taskforce, he had already earned a strong reputation for himself as a crusader against serious illnesses. This was through his preventive health work in places that desperately need support, such as Africa.
As a trained doctor, he has spent most of his career working in HIV prevention, primary healthcare and public health. In the beginning, he started practicing medicine in rural hospitals in Australia, before working in African refugee camps for a couple of years and then he movied into Aboriginal health for five years.
The idea of prevention became obvious to him early on in his career, as he recalls.
“When you have been in the same situation time and time again, facing the same problem, you start to think that about finding a way stop the illness from happening, instead of trying to deal with the problems afterwards. That’s what drew me into preventive medicine. Since then, I’ve had the privilege of being involved not only in HIV prevention, but tobacco control programmes and mental health promotion too.”
Targeting alcohol, tobacco and obesity
Moodie (who is also currently the professor of Global Health at the Nossal Institute for Global Health at the University of Melbourne) is quite modest about the Government picking him to be in charge of the Preventative Health Taskforce.
But it is no small task when you consider the Government plans to spend $53.5 million on a National Binge Drinking Strategy, $15 million on anti-tobacco initiatives and $4.5 over five years to be on guidelines on nutrition and physical activity for early childhood. The recommendations by the Preventative Health Taskforce will help the Government to decide how to spend that money.
The Taskforce itself was set up on April 8th, 2008. Following the release of its discussion paper - “Australia: the healthiest country by 2020,” in October 2009, over 400 submissions from interested individuals and organisation have been handed in. Combined with the consultations conducted, these submissions will inform the thinking of the Taskforce as they develop the National Preventative Health Strategy due to the Minister in late June 2009.
Some of its targets include:
- Halting and reversing the rise of overweight and obesity
- Reducing the prevalence of daily smoking to 9% or less
- Reducing the prevalence of harmful drinking for all Australians by 30%
- Contributing to the ‘Close the Gap’ target for Indigenous people, reducing the 17-year life expectancy gap between Indigenous and non-Indigenous people
Although these are ambitious goals, Moodie is confident that the Taskforce is currently on the right track.
“Our task is to develop a preventative health strategy for the nation, focusing initially on obesity, tobacco and alcohol and we will also concentrate on primary prevention. The reason why we are drawing attention to these areas first of all is because they are responsible for such a large preventable burden of disease in Australia. Of course, we recognise other areas of health are very important and need to be addressed too. But it is our intention to pick up on these important issues, such as mental promotion, injury prevention and reproductive health, after we’ve dealt with these three big main issues first of all.”
Changing people’s attitudes
During the process of taking in nearly 400 submissions, Moodie’s team ran consultations across the country in 40 meetings, involving all States and Territories. This included meeting with key stakeholder groups in the alcohol industry; people from the health and insurance industry; personnel involved with workplace programmes; indigenous Australians; researchers; major NGOs and individuals interested in redesigning the urban environment to include health activities. Moodie’s team is now in the final stages of putting together their final report.
The strategy that will be created will advise the Government on what needs to be done in a number of different areas.
“We will explain who needs to do what and the best way forward, based on the evidence we have found,” adds Moodie. “It is a strategy for all Australians, not just Government. For example, we are examining what should be done about further reducing the promotional work done by the tobacco industry and what is needed to for effective national social marketing campaigns. We will also look at ways in which partnerships can develop and strengthen between governments and schools, workplace programmes and community organisations, to promote healthy eating and physical activity.
“As far as the harmful use of alcohol is concerned, we are analysing the drinking culture and how we can make it safer. We are also looking at what can be changed in pricing, taxation and the promotion of alcohol. There will be a big focus on areas that are most relevant to Indigenous Australians, as well as disadvantaged Australians. Special programmes for the general population will also be set up and we are analysing how best to develop partnerships with industry. Not only that but we want to make sure health services are better equipped to deal with smoking and alcohol related problems when they arise.
“This will include providing guidelines about what levels are safe and dangerous. But we will also look beyond what is damaging to the individual. This is “passive” drinking – it is the harmful effects of peoples drinking on others such as assaults, domestic violence, road accidents, fires, and all those areas that cause our police resources to be diverted from other problems.”
Moodie realises that the Taskforce faces a huge battle against social norms that have existed for decades, but he is not deterred from the Taskforces’ mission.
“You just have to look at how people’s attitudes have changed dramatically towards tobacco over the last 25 years. It’s not a matter of telling people what to do, but it’s about putting together a comprehensive package that includes public education, social marketing, regulations and legislation around the use of products, the promotion of them and the way they are sold. It’s about having good surveillance, research and a good front line, as well as training primary care service providers how to deal with these issues.”
Doctors should get more involved
Moodies hopes that general practitioners will be more involved in prevention within the primary health care system.
“We already know that brief interventions around alcohol and tobacco does work. We would like to see changes in the primary health care system so that it is focused on prevention, not just treatment. Practices and practitioners need to change their orientation a bit. For example, people should be referred appropriately when they have a preventable problem. When people have low exercise levels or weight problems, or are starting to fall victim to alcohol or smoking problems, they should be referred to appropriate local programmes or practitioners, to help them change their behaviour. This has to be supported by global messages around improving our health, supported by the right regulation and legislation to make healthy choices the easier choices.”
Other approaches are very significant
As far as other practices go, such as Yoga and Pilates, Moodie recognises that they also have an important part to play in this brave new preventative health strategy and the fresh plan for primary care.
“The primary care system is very broad. There is no question that practices such as Yoga and Pilates can be extremely useful. There are many programmes out there and they should definitely be included as part of the overall referral pathway for people to keep themselves well. This whole area is very interesting indeed.”
Overall, Moodie is very excited about Rudd’s plans to put money and passion behind this whole project.
“I think it’s absolutely fabulous. As I’ve said before, I’ve been involved with prevention for years and I’m convinced it has to be the way we have to go in the future. The Health and Hospital Reform Commission is propoting prevention, as is the Primary Health Care review. This never would have happened 10 years ago. Hopefully, by changing the system, it will show that it’s not only important to look after people when they are sick, but to prevent illness in the first place..
Watch this space to find out more about the strategy as it develops and becomes working practice throughout all areas of Australia.
For more information about the Taskforce, visit: http://www.preventativehealth.org.au/
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