Rachel Mealey: State and territory governments say they’re being short-changed by the Commonwealth on health funding, arguing that more money was promised to fund public hospitals than has been delivered. Federal political reporter Isabella Tolhurst has the story.
Isabella Tolhurst: The continued pressure applied to the nation’s public hospitals is bearing down on the system from all angles. Western Australian paramedic Christopher Pike says ambulance ramping at hospitals is a symptom of a sick system.
Christopher Pike: We want to go out and help people who need help, but we also don’t want to abandon the patients that we have and we don’t want to put that pressure onto the hospital staff. They’re doing it just as tough as we are.
Isabella Tolhurst: He says paramedics aren’t able to do their jobs effectively and it’s letting patients down.
Christopher Pike: Our treatment options are really designed for emergency. The fact that we can’t do that is stressful.
Isabella Tolhurst: Those in the sector say a large part of the issue is a lack of adequate funding. The Australian Medical Association says uncertainty around funds means bed numbers will continue to decline, wait lists for elective surgeries will increase and staffing levels will be impossible to maintain. President Danielle McMullen says it’s time governments stepped up.
Danielle McMullen: Both states and territories and the Commonwealth government need to pay their fair share of public hospital funding to make sure that Australians can get the care they need when they need it.
Isabella Tolhurst: But the governments can’t agree on who should pay what. In 2023 an agreement was made at National Cabinet that would see the Commonwealth increase its share of funding to 45% by 2035. But two years on, the Commonwealth now says it’s offering states an additional $20 billion over five years. State and territory leaders say they’ve been short-changed, with the actual share of Commonwealth funding landing closer to 35% instead of 45%. Tasmanian Premier Jeremy Jeremy Rockliff has said it would cost his state more than $600 million over the next five years.
Jeremy Rockliff: That’s the equivalent of 1.2 million emergency department presentations.
Isabella Tolhurst: A federal government spokesperson told the ABC they were committed to making a fair contribution and that the Commonwealth is prepared to negotiate in good faith. But while the politicians go back and forth, the medical industry is calling for certainty. AMA President Danielle McMullen thinks it should be a 50-50 split, but at the end of the day she doesn’t care where the funding comes from, just as long as it comes.
Danielle McMullen: We do need a sustainable long-term health funding agreement that drives our public hospitals to being the best possible version of themselves.
Rachel Mealey: Australian Medical Association President Danielle McMullen speaking to Isabella Tolhurst.
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