AMA: End the logjam in public hospitals
The AMA has launched a new public hospitals campaign, Clear the hospital logjam, to reform the way public hospitals are funded and make hospitals a vote-changing federal election issue.
The campaign highlights the impact of hospital logjams around the country, disturbing testimony from frontline ED doctors, and encourage Australians to vote for their public hospital at the federal election.
Clear the hospital logjam explains how ambulance ramping, emergency waiting times and delays in elective surgery are all part of a cycle of underfunding and poor planning that is putting pressure on hospitals across the nation and which are buckling under the extra strain of the pandemic.
“The long-standing public hospital funding failure is so serious we can no longer allow this issue to be punted between state and federal governments, it’s a national issue. Australians are in danger of losing their access to universal healthcare and that’s a tragedy we can’t allow,” AMA President Dr Omar Khorshid said.
“We know that on the ground our hospitals are hurting – they were under pressure even before the pandemic. Supporting hospitals is critical along with our hard-working GPs who can prevent disease and keep Australians well and out of hospital in the first place,” Dr Khorshid said.
“This campaign is focused on addressing the root causes of these logjams, and as a first step we are going to amplify the voice of those exhausted staff and frustrated patients, so all our leaders can hear,” added Dr Khorshid.
Full information on the campaign is available here.
