Summary
Australia has much to be proud of in many areas of health – including longer life expectancy, lower death rates for cancer and many other diseases than in the past, and a health system that people are mostly happy with. Here are some of the highlights.
Section 1 The good news
- Injury deaths down
- Asthma and COPD death rates improving
- Fewer heart attacks and strokes
- Cancer death rates falling, survival improving
- Vaccination rates getting better
- Smoking rates still falling, fewer people drinking
- Feelin' all right
- Living longer
Section 2 Could do better
- Chronic problems for the future
- Mental disorders
- Too much weight, not enough exercise
- Diabetes on the rise
- Eating well?
- Some problems with alcohol and drugs
- Dementia numbers rising
Section 3 Life stages
- Our population is growing and ageing
- Mothers and babies
- Childhood (5-14 years)
- Young people (15-24 years)
- Working age (25-64 years)
- Ageing
- How are we dying?
Section 4 Not faring so well
- Promising signs, but room for improvementin Indigenous health
- Section 5Behind the scenes
- How large is the Indigenous health gap?
- What are the causes of the health gap?
- Rural and remote areas
- Socioeconomic disadvantage
- Health of people with disability
Section 5 Behind the scenes
- Primary health care and prevention
- Bulk-billing, medical practitioners and insurance
- Medications
- Call an ambulance
- Hospitals
- More people treated on time in emergency departments
- Waiting for elective surgery
Section 6 What lies ahead?
- The increasing costs of the health system
- 'Australia's greatest health challenge'-chronic diseases
- Information needs for the future