6 May 2008

The State Government had squandered a golden opportunity in the State Budget to address crucial health issues, AMA Victoria President, Dr Doug Travis, said today.

 

“I’m scoring the Budget as six out of ten,” Dr Travis said. “Some welcome initiatives, but overall it’s disappointing.

 

“The Budget provides patches to our hospital system, but will not drag us back from the precipice we are currently looking over.

 

“It is simply a matter of reasonable expectations not being met. Victoria is adding 1200 people per week. That means we need an extra three hospital beds every week. These needed services aren’t being delivered.”

 

Dr Travis said AMA Victoria had made it clear in its Budget submission to the Treasurer that the Victorian Government’s priorities must be public hospital capacity and preventative health.

 

“Victoria is currently 600 hospital beds short, even though we have the most efficient hospitals in the country. Demand is growing, more people need care, and there just aren’t enough beds, nurses and doctors to meet the health care needs of the community.

 

“This Budget goes a small way towards increasing capacity, but not enough to get ahead. The new services and new beds are welcome, but by the time the next Budget rolls around in May 2009, we will still be short of beds and short of the staff and equipment to service those patients,” Dr Travis said.

 

Dr Travis did note several positive aspects of the Budget, and singled out additional training places and the WorkHealth Initiative for particular praise.

 

“We have an additional 220 undergraduate medical places per year in Victoria, and these students will need training in our hospitals and community settings to become qualified doctors,” Dr Travis said.

 

“The $55 million investment in over 200 new placements will go a long way towards the goal of ensuring these doctors get the support they need before starting their specialist training,” Dr Travis said. AMA Victoria was keen to ensure that the money was allocated to training needs, rather than swallowed into extra administration. “We will continue to work with the Government to promote training and quality in our medical workforce.”

 

The Budget confirms the $600 million fund for the WorkHealth Initiative, a move warmly welcomed by AMA Victoria. “WorkHealth has the potential to make a big difference to the lives of working Victorians,” Dr Travis said. “This is a world first program which deserves strong support from the medical profession, from industry and from the community.”

 

Dr Travis also welcomed the capital investments for hospitals such as Sunshine, Warrnambool and for suburban maternity services. “Unfortunately underinvestment over a generation means that we are playing a very expensive game of catch up with hospital infrastructure,” Dr Travis said. “We welcome the investment, particularly where the capital investment also adds capacity through extra beds and room for extra staffing and support.”

 

AMA Victoria noted the additional maternity services at Werribee, Frankston, Monash, Casey and Northern Hospital. “It’s always important to have services where they are needed,” Dr Travis said. “The baby boom took policy makers by surprise, and this announcement will recover lost ground.”

 

Dr Travis noted that the new Royal Women’s Hospital currently under development does not include any new capacity for extra births. “As the Minister has said that suburban hospitals must bear more of the load, it’s nice to see additional support for those services.”

 

The additional support for accident and emergency capacity at Bendigo and Dandenong was also welcomed. The State Government’s Your Hospitals Report shows an 11 per cent increase in people seeking treatment in Bendigo Hospital’s emergency department, and six per cent at Dandenong.

 

“These emergency departments are under enormous pressure, non-urgent elective surgery patients are waiting longer for their operations and patient satisfaction with these hospitals have declined,” Dr Travis said. “The government has picked two hospitals, but it’s only two hospitals on a long list of pressured hospitals.”

 

Figures buried on page 86 of Budget Paper No. 3 provide an example of the problems with emergency management. “The Government’s own figures show that more than one in three people waiting for a hospital bed from emergency departments are failing to get a bed within eight hours,” Dr Travis said. “That represents over 91 000 Victorians missing out.”

 

Dr Travis also welcomed the increased investment in mental health. “Early intervention is vital,” Dr Travis said, “as are services for people living with mental conditions. AMA Victoria is particularly pleased that the government has delivered on early intervention and prevention and recovery care services (PARCS) beds.”

 

With a new mental health strategy being developed for the end of the year, and planning underway for improved mental health facilities at Dandenong Hospital, Dr Travis noted that he expected further investment in mental health services. “The government is on the right track with mental health,” he said, “but there is more to be done.”

 

Another highlight was a clear statement that 90 per cent of Victorians would have access to fluoridated water by 2011, and funding to deliver this pledge. “The medical and dental professions, scientists and community advocates all recognise that fluoridation is a great public health investment,” Dr Travis said.

 

The Budget failed to meet AMA Victoria expectations on rural medical support, funding obesity treatment programs (such as bariatric surgery) or introducing a new licensing fee for tobacco vendors to reduce the number of children smoking.

 

“Overall I am a bit disappointed,” said Dr Travis. “With a strong economy, good management and a large surplus ($3.5 billion over four years), the Victorian community should be demanding a health system that grows with the needs of Victorians. We need a growing system if we want to drive innovation and reform,” Dr Travis said.

 

“The Budget provides some patching work, attempts to solve some immediate problems, and makes limited investments for the future,” Dr Travis said.

 

“Unfortunately, without enough beds and support services, hospitals will continue to struggle. We need larger hospitals to deliver the extra services that Victorians need.”