By Marcus Uhe
The State Government has defended the latest Victorian Health Department quarterly performance data for March to June 2022, which shows a system under unprecedented pressure.
Overdue wait times (days) for patients requiring semi-urgent (category two) surgery have skyrocketed across hospitals in the South East from 12 months ago, with Cranbourne Integrated Care Centre wait times nearly tripling (190 per cent increase) and Casey hospital patients wait times nearly doubling (72 per cent increase).
Dandenong hospital and Monash Medical Centre patients also experienced increases but not to the same degree.
The hovernment attributed the numbers to a surge in demand for services, with hospital emergency department presentations increasing by 5.1 per cent from the previous quarter as the state continues to battle lingering Covid-19 effects, such as illness and workforce shortages.
Ambulance Victoria also continues to break records, having recorded their third consecutive busiest quarter.
“We’re in the midst of a record-breaking period of demand on our health system, but this latest data shows that we are weathering the storm and building a system that will be stronger than ever moving forward,” Health Minister Mary-Anne Thomas said on Saturday 6 August.
“All our healthcare workers are doing an incredible job under challenging circumstances – and this government is ensuring they have all the support they need to give Victorians the care they deserve faster.”
In better news, the number of urgent (category one) surgery patients awaiting on operation at Casey hospital and Dandenong hospital has fallen since March.
State-wide, there was a 48 per cent increase in patients who received their surgery in the March-June quarter compared to the previous quarter (December-March).
The government’s $1.5 billion Covid Catch-Up Plan is providing support to the workforce, with funding for nurses to complete training in perioperative nursing, and to upskill in general surgery and recovery, along with the upskilling of 30 theatre and sterilisation technicians.
Additionally, the Pandemic Repair Plan is delivering the training and recruitment of up to 7000 healthcare workers in an effort to ensure timely assistance is delivered to those in need.
But Shadow Health and Ambulance Services Minister Georgie Crozier said not enough was being done to fix the crisis.
“Politics, spin and cover-ups won’t fix the health crisis. Victorians need real solutions to cut the surgery waitlist and give people the care they deserve,” Ms Crozier said.
“Remember this November, the person who created the health crisis is not the one to fix it. Only a change of government will end Labor’s health crisis.”
