AMA calls for independent and properly funded CDC
The AMA says the COVID-19 experience has illustrated the need for a nationally coordinated Centre for Disease Control.
The AMA says the COVID-19 experience has illustrated the need for a nationally coordinated Centre for Disease Control.
The AMA has emphasised the important of getting the settings and framework for the Centre for Disease Control (CDC) right including ensuring it is independent of political interference.
In its submission the AMA has also called on the government to:
- incorporate the expertise of health professionals at the coalface into the CDC, particularly doctors, to ensure the appropriate preparedness and response of the health care system
- incorporate both communicable and non-communicable disease prevention and response in its scope, with an initial focus on communicable disease noting the current urgency to have a more coordinated system in place for the COVID-19 pandemic
- ensure collaboration with community and local-level groups when health issues and projects impact them, such as Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health peak organisations, disability service providers and community representatives, culturally and linguistically diverse populations, and aged care service providers and representatives.
The CDC must be adequately funded and resourced over the long-term to undertake its multitude of functions, including rapid risk assessment, scientific briefings, public education, and disease prevention.
Once operational the centre will be a fundamental shift in Australian’s health system.
The AMA hopes to have ongoing engagement with government at all stages of design and development to ensure an Australian CDC is fit for purpose.
Read the Department of Health and Aged Care’s CDC discussion paper
