Call for urgent action to alleviate pressure on public hospitals

The Australian Medical Association is calling for urgent action by all governments to address the growing planned surgery waitlist, exit block and widespread ambulance ramping.

The call for action is outlined in the AMA’s pre-budget submission on public hospitals — featuring detailed, costed, targeted and implementable initiatives that represent an investment in the health of Australians — ahead of the May federal budget.

The association commended the significant public hospital funding boost announced by the federal government last December, but acknowledged that there are issues in Australia’s health system that require genuine reform.

AMA President Professor Steve Robson said wait times for planned surgery continued to blow out in the last financial year, with more than one in three patients waiting longer than the clinically recommended time for essential surgeries, including heart valve replacements and coronary artery bypass surgeries.

By increasing its share of funding for public hospital activity and replacing the 6.5% funding growth cap with a more “generous approach”, the federal government will reportedly inject $13.2 billion of extra funds into the system between 2025 and 2030.

The new agreement with state and territory governments came off the back of the AMA’s tireless advocacy through the Clear the Hospital Logjam campaign. But Robson said the new agreement would not come into effect until next year.

“In the meantime, hundreds of thousands of patients are waiting for planned surgeries and Australians are spending far too long ramped outside hospitals,” Robson said.

The AMA’s federal budget submission says a combined $4.12 billion, split between federal and state governments, is required to address the backlog until the new funding agreement is implemented.

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