Healthcare continues to go backwards

Health outcomes for Victorian patients continue to deteriorate under the Allan Labor Government.

Recent data released by the Victorian Agency for Health Information (VAHI) has confirmed that across the July to September 2024 quarter:

• Three out of 10 patients who presented to public hospital emergency departments were not treated within the recommended time.
• Planned surgery waiting lists are up seven per cent.
• 9,881 patients were removed from planned surgery waiting lists, due to surgery being declined or not required, the patient seeking treatment interstate or failing to attend, or having died.
• Category 2 patients are currently waiting on average an extra 205 days for surgery, while Category 3 patients are waiting an extra 340 days.
• Patients waiting for urgent dental care are waiting, on average, nearly an additional month compared to last quarter.
• For the fifth quarter in a row, the government has failed to report on the high and low risks of dental care in children.
• The government has also failed to report on the proportion of Victorians able to obtain an urgent specialist appointment within the target (90th percentile) wait time.

Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Health, Annabelle Cleeland said the Victorian health system remains in crisis under the Allan Labor Government.

“Too many Victorians are waiting too long for to be cared for, particularly in regional areas,” Ms Cleeland said.

“Just in the past year we’ve seen mental health services been cut from our providers in Broadford, maternity services decrease in Kilmore, Benalla remains without its much needed dialysis treatment, and PET scanners have still not been delivered to Wangaratta.

“Years of waste, mismanagement, and underinvestment in our health services under Labor have meant too many Victorians suffer tragic health outcomes.

“Labor’s financial mismanagement is having a direct impact on frontline services and patient outcomes are suffering.”

The release of this new data follows the 2023-24 Health Complaints Commissioner Annual Report that revealed there were 1,326 complaints directed to public hospitals – with only 217 directed towards private hospitals.

When compared to the 2016-17 annual report, public hospital complaints have increased by 29.4 per cent, whereas private hospital complaints have decreased by 3.1 per cent.

“The Victorian public hospital system is broken, and Victorians are not able to get the care they need when they need it most,” Ms Cleeland said.

“Labor cannot manage money, cannot manage our health system and Victorians are paying the price.