Premier Brumby’s claim Victoria runs one of the best hospital systems in Australia has been demolished by the Australian Medical Association (AMA), said Helen Shardey, Shadow Minister for Health.

The Public Hospital Report Card 2007 released by the Australian Medical Association (AMA) last week revealed that under the Brumby Labor Government, per capita funding of Victorian hospitals on a national basis has fallen to the lowest level ever.

In response to the report, Mr Brumby said, “If you ask people, again, if you ask the AMA which state runs the best hospital system in Australia, the answer they’ll give you is Victoria”. ABC News Online, Vic Premier defends hospital spending, Thursday 25 October 2007

But the AMA said:

“The bottom line is that Victorian public hospitals have the lowest per capita funding levels in the country. This means that our public hospitals are under real pressure every day.” AMA Media Release 25 October 2007

AMA Media Release 25 October 2007Mr Brumby said “If you ask people, again, if you ask the AMA which state runs the best hospital system in Australia, the answer they’ll give you is Victoria”.

But the AMA said:

“We’re getting to a point where, if the Government wants more and more people to be treated, we don’t have any room for further efficiencies.” The Age, 31 May 2007

The Age, 31 May 2007Mr Brumby said “If you ask people, again, if you ask the AMA which state runs the best hospital system in Australia, the answer they’ll give you is Victoria”.

But the AMA said:

Hospitals lacked the resources to cope with demand.

“(Patients) wait half an hour, one hour, two hours, and they walk out. What we need is a commitment from the Government to understand the fact we don’t have enough capacity in the system.” Herald Sun, 23 August 2007

Herald Sun, 23 August 2007Mr Brumby said “If you ask people, again, if you ask the AMA which state runs the best hospital system in Australia, the answer they’ll give you is Victoria”.

But the AMA said:

State government benchmarks allow for 264,700 Victorians to receive clinically inappropriate care in Victorian public hospitals.

The Your Hospitals report reveals state benchmarks are well below clinically appropriate care for hospital waiting periods.

“Current government standards say it is perfectly reasonable for one in five people not to be seen within a clinically appropriate time,” he said. AMA Media Release 7 October 2007

he said. AMA Media Release 7 October 2007Mr Brumby said “If you ask people, again, if you ask the AMA which state runs the best hospital system in Australia, the answer they’ll give you is Victoria.”

But the AMA said:

The state government’s Your Hospitals report reveals 3,000 fewer elective surgery operations were performed in 2006/07 than the previous year. Non-urgent elective surgery in January to June 2007 dropped 15 per cent from the previous year.

“The government continues to cut elective surgery; is it because the Minister believes that some elective surgery does not matter?” AMA Media Release 11 October 2007 AMA Media Release 11 October 2007 “Premier Brumby has been dismissive of the crisis in our health system and his contradictory opinion to the AMA’s shows how out of touch he really is,” said Mrs Shardey.

“If you ask the 38,109 patients waiting in pain on the elective surgery lists and the thousands who wait hours each year in emergency departments for treatment – I think they would say Victoria has an inefficient system failing to cope with the increased pressure.”

Source: The State of Our Public Hospitals, 2004 Report and 2007 Report: State and Territory Government recurrent expenditure per person, weighted population.05