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How the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme began
Author(s) -
Goddard Martyn S
Publication year - 2014
Publication title -
medical journal of australia
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.904
H-Index - 131
eISSN - 1326-5377
pISSN - 0025-729X
DOI - 10.5694/mja14.00124
Subject(s) - legislation , opposition (politics) , pharmaceutical benefits scheme , government (linguistics) , population , penicillin , public administration , medicine , law , business , political science , environmental health , antibiotics , pharmacology , politics , chemistry , linguistics , philosophy , biochemistry , medical prescription
Summary Seventy years ago, the Curtin wartime government introduced legislation for a Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS). It was a response to the need to provide access to a wave of antibiotic drugs — sulfonamides, streptomycin, penicillin — to the whole population, not only to the minority able to afford them. The scheme was immediately and successfully opposed by doctors and the conservative opposition, which saw in universal health care an underhand plan to nationalise medicine. There were two High Court challenges, two referendums and a constitutional amendment; but it was not until 1960 that Australians had the comprehensive PBS envisaged by Curtin in 1944.