According to AIHW spokesman Geoff Callaghan, Australia has had the seventh lowest additional health spending out of 36 countries. The health system in Australia has spent almost $50 billion on COVID-19, as revealed in a new report. This expenditure accounted for 7.2 percent of the overall health spending in the country between 2019-20 and 2021-22. The report, released by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, specified that the Australian government contributed three-quarters of this amount and state and territory governments contributed a quarter.
The breakdown of the COVID-19 health spending in Australia revealed that $27.9 billion went to primary care, which included expenses related to the vaccine rollout and public hospitals. Furthermore, individuals spent an estimated $900 million on COVID-19-related health goods and services such as rapid antigen tests, personal protective equipment, and sanitizers.
However, although the $48 billion spent on COVID-19 was notable, it only exceeded the expectation based on the AIHW’s linear forecast of the preceding 10 years by 2 percent. Geoff Callaghan from AIHW emphasized that “Australia had the seventh lowest additional health spending out of 36 countries.”
AIHW’s report also highlighted that Australia had one of the lowest global excess death rates during the first three years of the pandemic. The total excess mortality rate in Australia during 2020–2022 was 4 percent, ranking it as the fifth lowest outcome compared to 30 other countries.
Recent statistics on COVID-19 vaccination rates in Australia have raised concerns. A report by the Grattan Institute revealed a significant drop in vaccination rates, particularly among high-risk populations. This has prompted calls for new measures to boost vaccination numbers, including a National Vaccination Agreement between the federal government and states, government advertising campaigns, and increased funding for immunisers.
Additionally, another AIHW report released on Nov. 29 found that $150 billion—71.6 percent of recurrent health spending—was contributed to specific disease groups in 2020-21. This encompassed spending on musculoskeletal disorders, cancer and other neoplasms, and cardiovascular diseases, among other conditions.