Premier Ben Carroll has promised to cut emergency department wait times by 20 per cent if Labor is re-elected. Speaking at University Hospital Geelong, he said 12 hospital emergency departments would be expanded by 25 per cent. The plan also includes 1500 new health workers, among them 750 nurses, and 250 more beds. Health Minister Ingrid Stitt said the changes would allow more than 210,000 patients to be treated each year. The state average emergency department wait is currently 15 minutes, though some patients wait more than two hours.
Emergency department wait times at Werribee Mercy Hospital would be cut if the Victorian state government is re-elected next month. The government has promised to reduce wait times by up to 20 per cent across Victoria, which it says will help more than 210,000 patients each year. The plan includes a 25 per cent expansion to 12 hospital emergency departments, hiring 1500 health workers including 750 nurses, and adding 250 beds. Premier Ben Carroll said more nurses would mean patients are seen sooner.
Premier Ben Carroll has promised to expand a dozen emergency departments by 25 per cent as Victorian Labor launches its bid for a fourth term. The $1.5 billion health package also includes 1,500 more health workers, half of them nurses, and 150 extra hospital beds, most opening next year. Labor says the expansions will cut waits by up to 20 per cent at hospitals in Melbourne and regional Victoria. The Australian Medical Association welcomed the funding but called for a review of the whole emergency care system.
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Victorian Premier Ben Carroll has launched Labor's campaign for a fourth straight term, pledging to cut emergency department wait times. He announced $1.5 billion to expand emergency departments at 12 hospitals, with 250 extra beds and 1500 more health workers. Opposition Leader Jess Wilson, speaking at a vandalised Upwey South tennis club, focused on crime and pledged 3000 new police officers. Mr Carroll accused the coalition of seeking to Americanise the health system, a claim Ms Wilson rejected. The state election is on November 28.
A preliminary audit has found that about 20,000 endoscopy procedures in New South Wales may be overdue, with final figures still to be validated. NSW Health Minister Ryan Park said on Saturday the government would invest $17 million to address the delays. The audit followed concerns raised by clinicians and patients about endoscopy wait times. Endoscopies are used to investigate, diagnose and monitor a range of conditions, including bowel cancer. Cancer Council NSW chief executive Sarah Hosking said prolonged delays have long been a concern for patients and that early detection is vital.
