Australians enjoy good health by world standards, but there is
scope for further improvement and substantial inequalities remain,
according to a new report released by the National Health
Performance Committee (NHPC) and the Australian Institute of Health
and Welfare (AIHW).
The National Report on Health Sector Performance Indicators
2003 is the second report prepared by the NHPC, designed to
help policy makers and others understand trends and patterns in
health, and to identify areas for action. It examines 44 indicators
of performance across the three tiers of the NHPC's National Health
Performance Framework - health status and outcomes, determinants of
health and health system performance.
The NHPC chair and Director General of the NSW Department of
Health, Ms Robyn Kruk, said Australia had performed well over the
past few decades, particularly in relation to life expectancy and
mortality rates.
'In 1970, Australia's life expectancy was ranked 16th for OECD
countries and by 2001 it was third behind Japan and Switzerland and
equal with Sweden at 80 years.
'And our mortality rate has fallen 50% in the period 1970 to
1999, which is faster than for every other high income OECD country
apart from Japan,' Ms Kruk said.
In general, Australians are living healthier as well as living
longer, with significantly lower rates of heart disease, stroke and
injury compared with a decade ago. However, diabetes, mental
illness and psychological distress are all more common.
There are also still substantial health inequalities in
Australia. People living in the most disadvantaged areas have
avoidable mortality rates 54% higher than those living in the least
disadvantaged areas.
But the starkest health inequalities are between Aboriginal and
Torres Strait Islander peoples and other Australians. Infant
mortality for indigenous Australians is twice as high and, for
older people, their chances of dying from circulatory disease,
diabetes and injuries due to accidents, suicide and assault are
much higher than for other Australians.
The report looks at determinants of health - those which have
protective benefits, such as fruit and vegetable intake and
physical activity, and those that are hazardous to health, such as
overweight and obesity and tobacco use. For example, in 2001, 46%
of Australians were sufficiently active to achieve a health benefit
and 16% of adult Australians were obese.
Health system performance information in the report includes
indicators of effectiveness (such as childhood immunisation rates),
responsiveness (such as waiting times in emergency departments) and
safety (such as adverse events in hospitals.)
9 December 2004
Further information: Wayne Geddes, Director
Media, NSW Health, tel. 02 9391 9563
John Goss, AIHW, tel. 02 6244 1151, mobile 0402 346 379
Dr David Filby, Executive Director - Strategic Planning and
Population Health, SA Department of Health, tel. 08 8226 6719
For media copies of the report: Publications
Officer, AIHW, tel. 02 6244 1032.
Availability: Check the AIHW Publications
Catalogue for availability of National Report on Health
Sector Performance Indicators 2003, December 2004.