Australian health care systems and medical technology.

Australia is an island continent with a population of 14. s million and an area close to 3 million square miles. Its greatest east-west mainland distance is 2,400 miles, and its north-south spread is almost as great. With an overall population density of 3.5 persons per square mile, large areas of Australia are sparsely populated. Huge, dry inland areas carry little, if any, population. More than 80 percent of the people live in urban environments, which lie mainly along the coastal fringe. Large and prosperous cities along the southern and eastern shores of the The Australian health care system is pluralis-tic, complex, and not tightly organized. It involves three levels of government (Federal, State, and municipal), as well as public and private providers and institutions. In spite of the increasing role for government in the financing of health services, most medical and dental care is provided by private practitioners on a fee-for-service basis. This has been—and will continue to be—an important feature of Australian health services. Prior to 1946, most major health functions were retained by the States, and the primary 'Much of the descriptive information pertaining to the Australian health care system in this chapter is based on personal conversations with Australian health authorities or unpublished, confidential documents to which the author has access in his capacity as Special Adviser on Social Welfare Policy for the Commonwealth. For this information, specific references are generally not cited. country are major ports of entry. These include Sydney, with a population of 3.2 million, and Melbourne, with 2.7 million. Six States have been federated under the name of the Commonwealth of Australia. The Commonwealth also includes two mainland Territories , one of which is self-governing. At the time of federation in 1901, all governmental powers other than those exclusively vested in the Parliament of the Commonwealth by the Constitution were retained by the States. health functions of the Commonwealth pertained to quarantine and the health needs of veterans. consequent upon a 1946 constitutional amendment, however, the Commonwealth was given powers to make laws about pharmaceutical , hospital, and sickness benefits, and medical and dental services. In addition to these powers, the Commonwealth also has used its constitutional powers to make grants for health purposes to the States and nongovernment organizations. State governments have the major responsibilities with respect to the public provision of health services. These governments are responsible for the public …