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Bed boost vital to support population increase
26 March 2010.
Victoria’s public hospitals are struggling to cope with the state’s population increase and urgently need additional hospital beds to ensure all Victorians have timely access to care, says AMA Victoria.
Australian Bureau of Statistics data shows Victoria’s population grew by 2,276 people each week in the year to September, due to overseas immigration and a rise in births.
AMA Victoria President Dr Harry Hemley said the population growth should serve as a wake-up call for the Prime Minister and Victorian Premier that a hospital bed boost is urgently needed, along with extra doctors, nurses and equipment to facilitate a capacity increase.
"This is the most pressing issue in our public hospital system,” he said. "If there are no beds to treat patients, waiting times for emergency care and elective surgery will continue to increase.
"We need an additional 187 beds each year just to keep up with current occupancy rates."
Dr Hemley said bed numbers had not kept up with population growth in the past and as a result the sick and injured already waited too long for care in Victoria’s public hospitals. He said an immediate increase of 578 beds was needed to play catch-up.
"Victoria’s population is growing and ageing – we need a plan to ensure we have enough resources to care for all Victorians if they become sick or injured in the future," he said. "We need extra beds, more doctors and nurses, additional equipment and improvements to information technology systems.
"Without a long term plan to increase capacity in the state’s public hospitals, Victorians’ access to public health services is guaranteed to decline."
"That’s why the Prime Minister’s hospital plan is flawed at the moment – it doesn’t offer one extra dollar or one extra bed for Victorian patients for four years. With an extra 10,000 Victorians a month, we desperately need those additional beds."
AMA Victoria’s 2010-11 State Budget Submission recommends a four-year, $878 million investment to catch-up on 578 beds immediately, and add an extra 187 beds a year for the following three years.
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