Medibank CEO David Koczkar: Why we must act now on mental health

Australia’s mental health system is underfunded and under-resourced, writes Medibank chief executive David Koczkar.

Our mental health system is at breaking point.

In fact, in many parts, it’s broken.

It is underfunded and under-resourced, and people struggle to access care at the right time or place unless there is an immediate threat to life.

Mental health touches every family and every community and is at the heart of our national

wellbeing.

We all know someone who has their own personal story, but many suffer because of the stigma.

Almost half of us will face mental ill-health at some point in our life. 

It affects our behaviour, our physical health, our work and our relationships.

And unless treated effectively, mental ill-health is a major cause of premature death and disability. 

For young people it’s worse than ever.

There has been an alarming 50 per cent rise in the rate of mental ill-health.

The Royal Australian College of General Practitioners reports the majority of GPs say mental health is in the top three most common reasons for patients seeing their doctor. 

And according to the National Mental Health Workforce Strategy, the nation’s psychiatry workforce meets only 56 per cent of the national demand.

Meanwhile, the Australian Medical Association says a patient spends seven hours on average in emergency before being admitted to hospital for an urgent mental health condition, and 10 per cent wait more than 23 hours.

This is why we must act to make mental health an urgent national priority. 

There have been no less than eight public inquiries and reviews into mental health over the past five years.

While there has been no shortage of effort in determining the impact this epidemic is having on us as individuals and families, on our health system, and on the productivity of our nation, our capacity to bend this rising curve has been seriously challenged.

And it’s not for the lack of good work.

Some of the smartest minds in our country are working on it, looking for new ways to meet the growing needs of our community.

And governments are spending more on mental health than ever before.

But it’s still not enough.

While there is no single solution, we need to start by ensuring access to the right care at the right time for those that need it.

As a society we focus on our sickest.

We talk about acute care and the need for more beds.

We may very well need these things, but it is increasingly clear that we need a focus on prevention and early intervention especially for young people and their families. 

The social determinants of mental ill-health including the breakdown in many of our social structures and the rapid rise of social media all need to be recognised.

And we must make mental fitness the norm just like physical fitness. 

We realise at Medibank we have to play a bigger role in the mental health of Australia. 

We are starting to do that through Can We Talk, a News Corp awareness series in partnership with Medibank, helping Australian families to build mental fitness and better tackle mental health in the home. 

Families and other support networks play a crucial, but often under-recognised role, ensuring early intervention and providing critical support to those afflicted by mental ill-health.

We are also starting with an additional $50m investment in mental health over the next five years with the aim of improving access, innovation and prevention of mental health care for our customers as well as for all people in Australia. 

We recognise that we don’t have all the answers, and we cannot do this alone, which is why we are collaborating with mental health organisations including batyr, Black Dog Institute, and Orygen and social health organisation Flying Fox so we can work together to find solutions.

Our efforts are just the beginning. 

Can We Talk? is a News Corp awareness campaign, in partnership with Medibank, helping Australian families better tackle mental wellbeing. To follow the series and access all stories, tips and advice, visit our new Health section.

Originally published as Medibank CEO David Koczkar: Why we must act now on mental health