Editorial Health Report Card Provides Painful Reading

Editorial Health Report Card Provides Painful Reading

Illawarra Mercury

Thursday November 13, 2008

THE Australian Medical Association's annual report on the state of our health services was hardly surprising.

The AMA says our public hospitals are in an awful mess with overcrowding, long emergency department waiting times, chronic bed shortages and 1500 unnecessary deaths in the past year.

And it says $3 billion is urgently needed to make up a shortfall of 3750 public hospital beds.

It's a damning critique of a service that is spiralling out of control and being propped up by dedicated but exhausted health professionals.

So how did it get into such a perilous state? Simply because governments (state and federal) and health administrators have failed miserably in their duty to invest in the infrastructure, the staff and the facilities for the future and for what is an ageing Australian population.

During a visit to Wollongong, NSW Premier Nathan Rees told Illawarra residents there were was nothing left in the piggy bank for the Illawarra, including a western grandstand at WIN Stadium, because the money needed to be spent on health and other major projects.

So what did the Premier do to ease the Illawarra's health problems - he sanctioned the closure of Bulli Hospital's operating theatres, adding even more pressure to Wollongong Hospital.

It's time the premiers and the Federal Government tackled what is already a disgrace. And another thing

Our front page story yesterday about Rhonda Bowen has had an amazing response.

You'll remember that Rhonda, 59, wanted to be "adopted" by an older Wollongong couple or single pensioner to help ease loneliness by helping out or just popping in for a chat.

Rhonda has tugged at the heartstrings of people near and far, including the BBC in London, and it seems that her wish will soon be granted.