Sharkie & Senators to Negotiate Medicare Centre & MRI Services

Posted June 04, 2018

Local candidate for Mayo Rebekha Sharkie will push for a Medicare Service Centre in Victor Harbor and Medicare-rebatable MRI services on the South Coast and Adelaide Hills if she wins the July 28 by-election.

“Being an independent and in the unique position of Centre Alliance being a minor party with the balance of power in the Senate, we give notice to Government that we will be expecting these services as part of our future negotiations on legislation,” Rebekha said.

“This is not horse-trading. This is simply ensuring that once we get the legislation right that consideration is given for much-needed services in my region.

“Every Member of Parliament should be fighting hard to ensure their communities receive the support and resources that they deserve and I am no different.

“I have taken this negotiated approach for the past two years and I will continue to do so after the by-election.”

With the Victor Harbor/Goolwa area identified as having the oldest populations in the State, Rebekha said the central business centre in Victor Harbor needed its own Medicare service centre.

“This service could easily be co-located with the existing Centrelink office in Victor Harbor,” Rebekha said.

“At present, those needing Medicare assistance must travel 50 kilometres to Noarlunga for face-to-face service, and that’s untenable for one of the oldest populations in the State and an area that has limited public transport.

“We also need to provide Medicare-rebateable services in this region and the Hills so our community can access affordable medical scans.

“An estimated 20 patients a day travel from the Adelaide Hills region to the city for MRI services, and a similar figure is reported for the South Coast.

“They do this because the Federal Government has not granted a Medicare rebate licence for the MRI machine in Mount Barker so patients must pay full costs, and that can be more than $300.

“As a result many patients put off having an MRI because they can’t afford it or it’s too difficult to travel to an MRI location where they can receive a Medicare rebate.

“It’s time Mayo had Medicare-rebatable MRI services, and I will push to ensure that the Federal Government grants licences to MRI services both in Mount Barker and in Victor Harbor.”

Click here to find out more about what Rebekha has already achieved for local health services.

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