Government inaction blamed for public hospital chaos

MedTech & Diagnostics News: In a stark warning about the state of Australia’s public hospitals, the alarm has been raised on the critical situation affecting the nation’s healthcare system. The 16th Annual Public Hospital Report Card, recently released by the Australian Medical Association (AMA), reveals a system on the brink of collapse due to overcrowding and under-resourcing.

Even before the COVID-19 pandemic struck, Australia’s public hospitals were facing mounting challenges in coping with the overwhelming demand for medical services. Over the years, they managed to barely scrape by with a series of temporary fixes and Band-Aid solutions. However, the pandemic exacerbated an already dire situation, leading to an enormous backlog of planned surgical procedures and prolonged waiting times for emergency medical services.

According to Professor Stephen Robson, President of the AMA, one of the primary reasons for the logjam in emergency departments is the lack of available hospital beds for patients who require admission. Patients occupying these beds for extended periods are preventing emergency departments from functioning efficiently and accommodating new arrivals in need of urgent care. Consequently, some patients are left stranded in ambulances outside the hospitals, waiting for admission.

“In 2021–22, public hospitals performed 623,000 elective surgeries, 131,600 (17%) fewer compared to the previous year,” said AIHW spokesperson, Dr Adrian Webster (PhD). “The largest decreases in elective surgery admissions were seen in New South Wales (27%) and Western Australia (23%), while Victoria experienced a much longer period of reduced activity.”

The pandemic also inflicted tremendous stress on the healthcare workforce, including senior staff, nurses, and medical professionals. Many of them, nearing the end of their careers, decided to leave clinical work, creating a shortage of experienced personnel. Additionally, those who had left the system for a year due to the pandemic and now wish to re-enter the workforce face considerable challenges in doing so.

Professor Robson emphasised that the key to alleviating the strain on the healthcare system lies in keeping people healthy and out of hospitals in the first place. However, he highlighted the difficulty in accessing general practitioners due to financial pressures, making it increasingly expensive for individuals to receive quality primary care.

To address the crisis, Professor Robson proposes three priority areas for immediate action. Firstly, there is a need to invest in and improve access to general practice care to promote better health outcomes and reduce hospital admissions. Secondly, efforts should be made to ensure that hospital beds are not occupied by patients who don’t require hospitalisation, providing better care options for older Australians through aged care beds and streamlining pathways for those under the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS).

Thirdly, with around half a million Australians currently waiting for planned surgeries (elective surgeries), resources must be allocated efficiently to support theatre nurses, surgeons, and other medical professionals involved in providing essential care.

In addition to these priorities, Professor Robson advocated for the reinstatement of a dedicated agency responsible for assessing and planning the healthcare workforce. By proactively training and incentivising healthcare workers, both local and overseas, Australia can build a resilient and well-equipped healthcare workforce.

As the crisis looms large over the nation’s health system, Professor Robson called for urgent collaboration between federal and state governments, emphasising that acknowledging the issue is the first step towards finding lasting solutions.

Australia’s healthcare workers, including doctors, nurses, and allied health professionals, are dedicated to providing top-notch care to their patients. Nevertheless, they need adequate resourcing and support to fulfill their crucial roles and ensure the health and well-being of all Australians.

The time for action is now, and it falls on all stakeholders, government, healthcare institutions, and the public, to come together and work towards revitalising Australia’s public hospitals, safeguarding the health of the nation.

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