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The Australian Monday, March 22, 2005 Waiting Times For Elective Surgery Reports that public hospital waiting times for elective surgery are growing longer despite hundreds of millions of dollars being put into the system are hardly surprising. Many patients are in hospital because they don’t get adequate primary care, or they can’t find an Aged Care bed. Both these problems cause ‘bed block’ and patients waiting for elective surgery miss out. Both of these problems are essentially the responsibility of the Federal Government whose response to concerns about the public hospitals is either that there is no problem or that they are powerless to improve the system.
In addition however, nursing shortages contribute to bed closures and anaesthetists shortages limit the number of surgical operating lists, and these are problems for both State and Federal Governments. It’s worth noting that there are no shortages of anaesthetists in the private sector in cities, they are needed to service the huge increase in private hospital procedures funded by the 30% private health insurance rebate.
Restructuring of the health system is desperately needed. The Federal Government’s record on managing Aged Care however, would not fill anyone with confidence that they would manage public hospitals any better.
Dr Tim Woodruff President Doctors Reform Society
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Doctors Reform Society of Australia home page] |