The AMA has just released their Public Hospital Report Card for 2011, with damning findings in the Gillard Governments ability to manage health.
There was little improvement in public hospital capacity and performance across Australia in 2009-10, despite extra Commonwealth funding, according to the AMA Public Hospital Report Card 2011. Public hospital performance in every State and Territory is well below targets for access to emergency departments and elective surgery set by the Council of Australian Governments.
“I will be meeting with Sue Shilbury, General Manager of Ryde Hospital on Tuesday 8th November at 3.00pm for a tour of facilities and to talk about local health concerns,” said Bennelong MP John Alexander.
“Shadow Minister for Health and Ageing Peter Dutton will be visiting Bennelong on December 5 to run a community health forum to discuss some of the health issues in our region.”
Public hospitals across the country are struggling to meet demand. They currently do not have the capacity to meet the demands of an ageing population that is also experiencing chronic conditions that inevitably require acute care. Only 378 new beds were opened across Australia in 2009-10. There are now only 2.6 public hospital beds for every 1000 people, which is down 3.5 per cent from the previous year.
“The AMA report shows that nothing has changed – that there has been little improvement in public hospital capacity and performance across Australia in 2010,” said Mr. Alexander.
Mr. Alexander said the AMA report’s findings were concerning –
- Public hospital performance in every state and territory is below COAG targets
- Hospitals are struggling to meet demand
- A third of patients considered “urgent cases” are not treated within recommended times in emergency
- Increased waiting times for elective surgery
- Manipulated data with hidden waiting lists
“People will remember Kevin Rudd’s, Julia Gillard’s and Nicola Roxon’s boasts that they had achieved “historic” reform, with billions of dollars poured into public hospitals – enough for thousands of new beds. Where’s it gone? What’s it gotten us?” Mr. Alexander said.
