Primary care was big loser in debate

Article excerpt:

KEVIN Rudd responded to one question about hospital beds in today's debate with a plea that the "patient should be the focus of this" reform push. Nine's worm loved it, as it seemed to love everything else that fell from the PM's mouth. But while Rudd was the winner of the debate, his invocation of the patient was a triumph of politics over policy. While both leaders focused almost exclusively on what they would do for hospitals, they failed to recognise that more patients would be best served by a proper reorganisation of primary care, about which they said little to nothing.