Opposition calls on Labor to increase PATS subsidies to reflect contemporary costs of accessing healthcare

The Opposition has tabled a petition with 1000 signatures in Parliament, calling for urgent action to improve the Patient Assisted Travel Scheme. The petition was tabled last Thursday by shadow regional health minister Martin Aldridge to draw attention to the gaps in the system that leave regional residents out of pocket when trying to access health care which is not available to them locally. “Each year, more than 35,000 regional residents utilise PATS to travel hundreds, if not thousands of kilometres from their homes, families, and communities to access specialist services, give birth, access cancer treatment or dialysis services,” Mr Aldridge said. A review conducted by the Opposition of nationwide PATS fuel subsidies found the 16 cent per kilometre subsidy in WA was the lowest in Australia, and well below the rates offered by NSW (40¢/km) and South Australia (32¢/km). A State Government spokesperson responded to the review by saying: “The State Government has substantially increased the PATS accommodation subsidy by 66 per cent and expanded eligibility to enable vulnerable patients to travel with a support person.” The fuel subsidy rose in the 2021-22 State Budget when then premier Mark McGowan allocated $19.7 million towards the scheme. The spokesperson added “separate to this, the government also continues to fund the Country Age Pension Fuel Card subsidy, which is worth $575 per annum for eligible recipients.” Mr Aldridge referred to the cost-of-living crisis, and called for improvements to reflect the contemporary costs associated with patient travel. The scheme will provide $106.10 for a maximum period of six months if the patient’s doctor deems a follow-up appointment necessary or if forward and return journeys cannot be completed in one day due to distance, travel time, transport schedules or a medical condition. “Many of these issues were identified by the health minister when she co-authored a comprehensive review of PATS in 2015, yet very little action has occurred to improve the scheme,” Mr Aldridge said. The State Government spokesperson hit back at the criticism, highlighting the Liberal-National government fell short itself when it did not increase the PATS fuel subsidy during eight years in government.