Bruce MP Julian Hill took aim at the Federal Government over the rising hospital crisis, claiming out of pocket costs to see a GP in Bruce have gone up by 50 per cent.
“Families are already struggling to access emergency care and are under pressure from rising out of pocket costs to see a GP which only contributes to the strain on household budgets,” Mr Hill said.
He said a Labor Government will alleviate pressure on the over-burdened hospital system, through the party’s proposal to establish Medicare urgent care clinics across the nation.
“Medicare Urgent Care Clinics will take the pressure off hospital emergency departments by providing an alternative option for families needing urgent care from a doctor or nurse,“ Mr Hill said.
The clinics would treat urgent but non life threatening injuries including sprains and broken bones, cuts, wounds, insect bites, minor ear and eye problems and minor burns.
Mr Hill said Labor plans to invest over $135 million across four years to establish a trial of 50 Medicare urgent care clinics, including one in the La Trobe area to ease pressure on the Casey hospital emergency department.
Recent estimations indicate that between January and March this year, 40.4 per cent of patients at Casey Hospital’s were treated in the recommended time.
The number of patients who spent over 24 hours in the Casey Hospital emergency department increased from three in January-March 2021, to 46 in the same time period this year.
Greens candidate for Holt Sujit Mathew says while the responsibility for running hospital services ultimately falls with the states, the problem is fuelled by a poor allocation of federal funding into the health department.
“Coalition has ripped money out of hospitals by giving billions to private health insurance rebates.
“Four big corporations control 70 per cent of the subsidised private health market and are making huge profits at the expense of your health.
A Greens government will invest an extra $8 billion by legislating equal funding of hospitals between the Commonwealth and states, Mr Mathew said.
“This can be done by reinvesting the billions paid in private health insurance rebates back into the public system, slashing out of pocket costs.
“I aim to ensure that everyone can get the care they need, when they need it, by funding our hospitals sufficiently and that way clearing public hospital surgery waiting lists, hiring more trained staff and buying modern medical equipment.
“This in return will help hospitals come out of the current unprecedented hospital crisis.”
Dandenong-based Senate candidate Geraldine Gonsalvez said emergency departments needed funding so “all the beds that are available can function with full-funded staff, 24-7 – 365 days of the year”.
“The not so urgent cases must be placed into special dedicated overnight allocated wards so that the ambulances can be freed for other pick ups instead of having to form ramped up queues in hospital corridors.”
Ms Gonsalvez said “24-7 overnight medical surgeries” at hospitals would help relieve the overcrowdedness.
“We definitely need more funding allocation for the building of new hospitals especially more isolation hospitals and hospices for infectious diseases and end of life cases.”
Candidates from the Liberal and other political parties in Bruce and Holt did not respond by deadline.
