Australian public hospitals in logjam
The Australian Medical Association has released new analysis that reveals only three of 201 Australian public hospitals analysed are delivering care within recommended timeframes — down from 15 hospitals a year ago.
Chronic underfunding of public hospitals at both state and territory and Commonwealth level has led to declining hospital performance. In the last few years we have increasingly heard stories of people dying waiting to be seen in public hospitals that are operating at breaking point, patients waiting years for essential surgery, and ambulances ramping outside hospitals because there are not enough beds and staff to cope with demand. The AMA's analysis reveals that only three of the 201 Australian public hospitals analysed are delivering care within recommended timeframes — down from 15 hospitals a year ago. Australia urgently needs a recovery plan to address the backlog of elective surgeries, build enough capacity to meet the growing needs of the community, and clear the hospital logjam.
