The ³Ô¹ÏÍøÕ¾ Health Plan announced by Health Minister Greg Hunt today is an encouraging step forward particularly in mental health and preventive health, the Consumers Health Forum says.
The longterm plan includes a fresh focus on children’s mental health with a new strategy specifically for children under 12, the development of a ³Ô¹ÏÍøÕ¾ Preventive Health Strategy, research on screening for lung cancer and measures to reduce smoking rate to below 10 per cent of the population. The Minister has also announced a $90 million Intergenerational Health and Mental Health Study to be carried out over the next three years.
“The Minister is to be congratulated on the breadth of his initiatives to improve health outcomes, particularly for Australia’s First Nations People, including through measures tackling the social factors which play a significant role in poor health status,” the CEO of the Consumers Health Forum, Leanne Wells, said.
