Nola Marino (Forrest, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

I rise to table a petition by constituents from my electorate of Forrest who strongly oppose the Labor government’s decision to remove item numbers 50124 and 50125 from the Medicare Benefits Schedule.

The petition read as follows—

To the Honourable the Speaker and members of the House of Representatives

This petition of certain citizens of Australia draws to the attention of the House:

The thousands of Australians who, each year, have aspiration of, or injection into a joint.

We therefore ask the House to:

Review the Labor Government’s removal of item numbers 50124 and 50125 from the Medicare Benefits Schedule which provide for the aspiration of, or injection into a joint. Consideration should be taken into the impact the cutting of the Medicare rebate will have on the thousands of affected Australians.

from 365 citizens

Petition received.

This petition consists of 365 signatures from constituents who believe that removing these items from the MBS and forcing them to pay the full cost of the treatment is unfair to them. The Labor government is making patients needing such joint injections pay the full costs. During 2008-09 approximately 550,000 services were provided under the item numbers that have been removed. I understand that this was protested by the Australian Rheumatism Association, Arthritis Australia and many others. Principal petitioner and affected local Forrest resident, Kerry Prestage, said that joint injections play a crucial part in the treatment of her arthritis. Kerry has had to live with the effects of osteoarthritis every day since she was 28 years of age and these injections have been an important part of managing her condition. Kerry said:

With joint injections, patients have fewer complications and their joints are better preserved.

Patients using joint injection therapy do not have the permanent damaging effects on organs such as the liver, spleen, pancreas and stomach—something Ms Prestage has unfortunately fallen victim to. She does not want to see other osteoarthritis sufferers have the same problem. On that note, I would like to take this opportunity to make very special mention of Ms Prestage and to thank her for her very hard work and effort in collecting the signatures for this petition.

I note with great concern that there was frustration that this measure was taken by the government without consultation and without regard, in the view of my constituents, to the impact on them as patients—particularly senior Australians. The AMA, individual doctors, the Australasian College of Sports Physicians and the Australian Orthopaedic Association, as well as Arthritis Australia, all oppose this measure. In conclusion, like the many constituents in my electorate, I am urging the government to review the removal of these items from the Medicare Benefits Schedule.

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