Health or Sport
Jan 19th 2004, 5:04 am
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Joined: Aug 2003
Posts: 11,149
Health or Sport
http://www.theage.com.au/articles/20...360630814.html
A swag of Olympic medals, or a longer life - which would you prefer?
It seems Australia places more importance on the former than some other Commonwealth nations, going by the proportion of federal funds poured into sport compared with that allotted to health care.
A spending survey conducted by health researchers in Australia, Canada and Britain found, on a per capita basis, that Australia spent more than seven times as much on its 2000 Sydney Olympic team as Canada, and won four times as many medals.
The amount spent equated to $4.82 million for each medal won, the researchers found. Britain's spending represented $8.5 million per medal, while Canada outlaid $4.42 million for each medal it collected.
While the Olympics were dominating the national psyche in 2000, Australia spent $2213 per person on health care. The life expectancy of Australians born in 2001 is an average 79 years. In Canada, where the life expectancy is slightly higher at 79.2 years, $2534 per capita went on health care.
Britain, average life expectancy 77.9 years, spent $1804 per head on health care.
A swag of Olympic medals, or a longer life - which would you prefer?
It seems Australia places more importance on the former than some other Commonwealth nations, going by the proportion of federal funds poured into sport compared with that allotted to health care.
A spending survey conducted by health researchers in Australia, Canada and Britain found, on a per capita basis, that Australia spent more than seven times as much on its 2000 Sydney Olympic team as Canada, and won four times as many medals.
The amount spent equated to $4.82 million for each medal won, the researchers found. Britain's spending represented $8.5 million per medal, while Canada outlaid $4.42 million for each medal it collected.
While the Olympics were dominating the national psyche in 2000, Australia spent $2213 per person on health care. The life expectancy of Australians born in 2001 is an average 79 years. In Canada, where the life expectancy is slightly higher at 79.2 years, $2534 per capita went on health care.
Britain, average life expectancy 77.9 years, spent $1804 per head on health care.
