July 16, 2018 Hospitals feeling the pressure of health funding cuts Recent performance indicators show Western Australia’s public hospitals are struggling under the strain of the McGowan Government’s funding cuts, according to Shadow Minister for Health Sean L’Estrange. Mr L’Estrange said the figures showed the State’s hospitals were not keeping up with demand. “Wait times for elective surgery and for specialist appointments have blown out and most hospitals are struggling to meet the four-hour emergency department target time,” Mr L’Estrange said. “We know staff are working as hard as ever and are doing the best job they can but the McGowan Government is simply not providing adequate funding to resource our hospitals. “Wait time performances at Royal Perth Hospital, Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital and Fiona Stanley Hospital emergency departments have gone backwards by 5.6 per cent, 8.3 per cent and 9.3 per cent respectively between May 2017 and May 2018. “Elective surgery wait times have also increased with the number of cases over the maximum recommended waiting time increasing between June 2017 and June 2018. “There are now more than 23,000 people on the waitlist for elective surgery and performance data shows the time for people waiting to see a specialist, to find out if they need surgery, has blown out by over 17 per cent.” Mr L’Estrange said it was not hard to see why hospitals were struggling when a comparison of the McGowan Government’s 2017/18 and 2018/19 State Budgets showed a $201 million cut in health spending over the forward estimates. “It is counterintuitive to cut funding to public hospitals at a time when the health sector is predicting an increase in demand for public hospital services, due to an increasing number of people opting out of private health insurance because they are struggling with increased household costs,” Mr L’Estrange said. “The McGowan Government has imposed large increases in Government fees and charges since it was elected and this is contributing to difficult household decisions over the affordability of private health insurance. “The McGowan Government has an obligation to the people of Western Australia to not only deliver essential health services but to also deliver on its election promises of more beds and reduced waiting times.” Ends |
