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Victoria’s hospitals need more than talk
15 November 2007
Victoria’s hospitals need more than talk, according to AMA Victoria.
“Victorian hospitals have capacity problems, we have an increasing population and we have growing waiting lists,” said AMA Victoria President Dr Doug Travis, following today’s release of the Coalition’s plan for better public hospitals.
“Meanwhile, the Federal contribution to public hospital spending has fallen to less than 41 per cent — just nine years ago they were paying more than half. Today’s announcement does not address the core funding question.”
The Coalition policy says that they will negotiate more public hospital beds with the Victorian Government, but does not commit any additional funding.
Dr Travis noted that both sides of politics had eight more days to propose real funding increases for hospitals.
“Health is a vote changing issue,” said Dr Travis, “Few things are more important to Victorians than the state of our public hospitals.”
“Talk is cheap,” Dr Travis said. “Our hospitals need equal funding from the State and Federal Governments.”
Background
Traditionally, the Federal and State Governments have shared the cost of public hospitals equally. However, the Federal share of Victorian public hospital funding has fallen dramatically in recent years. The data below are from the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare publications Health Expenditure Australia.[1]
|
|
1998-99
|
2005-06
|
|
State government funding ($m)
|
1289
|
2936
|
|
Federal Australian Health Care Agreement funding ($m)
|
1488*
|
1999
|
|
Department of Veterans Affairs funding ($m)
|
171
|
163
|
|
Private health insurance rebate funding ($m)
|
(n/a)
|
49
|
|
Other federal funding ($m)
|
(included above)*
|
221
|
|
Non-government funding
|
340
|
558
|
|
TOTAL
|
3289
|
5926
|
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