Australia’s hospital system is “showing cracks” under the weight of increased demand and underfunding, according to the country’s peak professional body.
The Australian Medical Association’s annual public health system report card has revealed just how dire the situation is nationwide, as emergency departments have buckled under the pressure of the Covid-19 pandemic.
More than one in three people have waited longer than the clinically-recommended 30 minutes to receive urgent care.
AMA president Omar Khorshid said only 63 per cent of patients had been seen within the recommended period in the past year.
“One in three people who present to an ED will wait longer than four hours to be either discharged or admitted,” Dr Khorshid said.
“This is why we see increased ramping of ambulances in front of our hospitals and why patients are suffering unnecessarily.”
Dr Khorshid said the 2022 report demonstrated the “growing pressure” on emergency departments across Australia.
The ACT recorded the worst wait times at emergency departments, with only 35 per cent of patients being attended to within 30 minutes.
Western Australia has also seen a rise in wait times, with just 43 per cent seen in the preferred time.
Since 2008, six public hospital beds had been lost for every 1000 people aged over 65, the shocking report revealed.
The ratio of total hospital beds for every 1000 people over the age of 65 has dropped to 14.9 – a decrease in one bed since last year, which is a key measure of capacity at public hospitals, according to the AMA.
Dr Khorshid said the ratio had been getting lower over the past 28 years as a result of funding shortfalls, overcrowding and long wait lists for emergency and surgery.
“Thirty years ago we had more than 30 beds in our public hospitals per 1000 people over the age of 65, we now have fewer than 15 and our population is ageing,” he said.
“We expect that by 2035, more than one million will be older than 85 – almost double of what it is today. 2035 is not very far away and if we want to save our public hospital system we must act now.
“Our public hospital capacity must be expanded to meet the demands of a population that is increasing in size, age and suffering from multiple chronic health issues.
“This needs to be backed by greater investment in primary care, giving GPs the support they desperately need to keep people out of hospital.”
Dr Khorshid said the most striking issue in hospitals was currently in elective surgery, with some patients waiting up to one year for critical surgery, including heart valve replacements or even hip replacements.
A major concern is the “hidden waiting list”, which refers to the amount of people who are waiting to see specialists in the public hospital system.
Victorians are facing some of the longest wait times for non-urgent elective surgery, with only 62 per cent of category two patients going under the knife within the allocated 90 days.
Tasmanians are also seeing record wait times, credited to the shut down during last year’s Covid-19 Delta outbreak, with some patients waiting close to 800 days to see a neurosurgeon with an “urgent referral”.
There are currently 59,000 people in Tasmania waiting to see a specialist, while only 36 pxjmtzywer cent of category two patients receiving treatment within 90 days.
The highest performer is NSW, where more than 87 per cent of patients underwent surgery in the allocated 90-day period.
“Every delayed surgery has an impact, leading to loss of quality of life and further deterioration of health,” Dr Khorshid said.
“Delaying a minor surgical intervention to improve the hearing of a child may mean they miss crucial time for physical and mental development.
“This is likely to incur much larger costs throughout their life than the cost of surgery.
“All these costs are covered by taxpayers and should not be seen as separate.
“We need all levels of government to stop shifting the costs and work together to solve these problems.”
