Arabic version: كيو يرفض دعوات الاستقالة بعد التراجع عن سقف خدمات صحة المحاربين القدامى
According to ABC News, Veterans’ Affairs Minister Matt Keogh says he will continue working with veterans and has no plans to step down after the government abandoned a proposed annual cap on allied health services.
The proposal, announced in the May budget, would have limited services including physiotherapy and dentistry to $5,000 a year unless veterans demonstrated “clinical need”. The measure was expected to save the federal government $750 million over three years, but critics said it could create barriers for former servicemen and women with complex and continuing medical needs.
Mr Keogh said the government had listened to veterans and could still work “collaboratively” with the community. He said: “We engaged with the veteran community. We heard, and we responded.” The reversal followed criticism from veterans, Senator Jacquie Lambie and opposition figures including Liberal leader Angus Taylor, who said Mr Keogh should resign.
Fair Care for Veterans spokesman John Armfield, a former Navy clearance diver, thanked the minister for dropping the cap. Department figures suggest about 10 per cent of veteran cardholders spend more than $5,000 annually on allied health services. Mr Keogh said the government remained on track to deliver two-thirds of recommendations from the Royal Commission into Defence and Veteran Suicide, including higher provider fees and removing referral requirements.
