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Public hospitals ‘completely overrun’ due to COVID delays
State health ministers across the country reportedly did not expect the record demand placed on tertiary care following a 10% drop in GP presentations, despite warnings.
The issues being faced by public hospitals were ‘entirely predictable’, according to RACGP President Dr Karen Price.
A joint report published by Nine Newspapers and Sun-Herald has quoted health ministers from Australia’s five mainland states as saying their systems are being overrun due to ‘unforeseen’ ill health arising from the pandemic.
The ministers have reportedly asked the Federal Government to increase funding to public hospitals as well as fix the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) and aged care systems, where assessment delays are apparently locking up hundreds of beds as people who no longer require hospital care are left with nowhere to go.
Victorian Health Minister Martin Foley said the group had a ‘lightbulb moment’ during a meeting with Federal Health Minister Greg Hunt in Melbourne last month, when they realised the crises were occurring across the country.
‘They all said they were being completely overrun,’ West Australian Health Minister Roger Cook said. ‘We’re quite frankly being smashed.’
The ministers have also reportedly said they are not sure why Australians are getting more seriously ill and in greater volumes than in the past, and admit they did not expect the record demand that has occurred this year, despite general practice visits dropping by 10% in 2020.
However, RACGP President Dr Karen Price told newsGP the issues currently being faced by public hospitals were ‘entirely predictable’, and that pouring more money into the sector will not solve the problem.
‘What these reports demonstrate more than anything is the unsung value general practice provides to the Australian healthcare system, and how properly investing in primary care and preventive health should be the model going forwards,’ she said.
‘If a 10% drop in GP presentations can result in this amount of chaos, imagine the difference we could make if increasing presentations by 10% was an absolute priority?
‘Time and again it has been shown that greater investment in general practice would not only ease pressure on our expensive public hospital system, but also result in healthier, happier patients.
‘Surely it is time to act on this advice, rather than double down on a strategy that is clearly not working.’
RACGP-commissioned research published last year has shown fully implementing the college’s Vision for general practice and a sustainable healthcare system would save the healthcare system at least $1 billion in 2021, and upwards of $5.6 billion over the next five years.
Yet a Productivity Commission report released earlier in the year shows that public hospitals receive six times more in terms of total funding than general practice.
A Department of Health spokesperson also recently told Nine Newspapers that the Commonwealth is set to continue with its ‘record investment’ in the public hospital sector; $25.6 billion in 2021–22 alone and $135.4 billion over the next five years.
‘This money, roughly double what general practice receives each year [$12.3 billion in 2018–19], is used to help fund 45% – less than half – of the cost of running Australia’s public hospitals,’ Dr Price said.
‘Meanwhile, state and territory governments will chip in the remaining $165 billion, while almost completely ignoring general practice and primary care.
‘It is beyond time to end this ridiculous jurisdictional blindspot, and the dysfunction that exists between state/territory and federal governments when it comes to healthcare.
‘One in every four dollars in government tax revenue is spent on healthcare in Australia, which is fantastic. But if the states really want to ease the pressure on their hospitals and receive a better return on their investment, they should start by allocating some of their health budgets to general practice.’
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