LABOR TO DELIVER MEDICARE-FUNDED MRI SCANS FOR SICK KIDS IN MELBOURNE

Sick children in Melbourne’s eastern suburbs will benefit from affordable access to life-saving medical scans under a Shorten Labor Government. Labor will deliver a new Medicare-subsidised MRI licence to Monash Children’s Hospital – ensuring sick kids can get access to the scans they need when they need them. Currently, families with children in this area are forced to pay high out-of-pocket costs of up to $900 for private MRIs, or wait up to three months to access a subsidised MRI machine elsewhere. This MRI licence will ensure better continuity of care for kids, many of whom come from disadvantaged backgrounds. Monash is Victoria’s largest public health service, providing care to a quarter of Melbourne’s population – about one million people – and it’s facing increasing demand for MRI services. MRI scans are used to detect and diagnose conditions that affect soft tissue – including tumours and cancer – and are critical in the early detection of many diseases. They are particularly important for children because the alternative – CT scans – can cause cancer in young people. Labor is acting to end the Abbott-Turnbull-Morrison Government’s failure on MRI licences. The Liberals have completely neglected MRI scans, granting only five MRI licences during five years in office – and the latest only as a result of a dodgy deal with One Nation in Western Australia. Labor by contrast granted 238 licences when we were in office, with hundreds of communities benefiting from the early detection and diagnosis of disease today because of Labor’s investment. Labor will deliver another 20 licences across the country if we win the next election – including the six we are announcing today. The first 10 licences will be reserved for public hospitals, with locations determined based on state government needs and evidence to a Senate inquiry. The remaining licences will be awarded via a transparent application process under a Labor Government. Labor is prioritising Australia’s health care and hospitals – we will reverse the Liberals’ hospital cuts and provide a desperately needed MRI licence to Monash Children’s.