AMA (NSW) President: Australia needs a tax on sugary drinks
November 23, 2016Increase in demand for emergency hospital treatment triples population growth
December 7, 2016AMA (NSW) President, Prof Brad Frankum, says the Government’s announced redevelopment for Nepean Hospital is welcome news
“Like many of the state’s larger public hospitals, Nepean has been struggling with demand for medical services.
“Western Sydney’s fast-growing population and larger numbers of sicker patients have been straining the system.
“The Bureau of Health Information continues to show us, each quarter, that there is a rapidly increasing need for care, especially more acute care.
“$576 million will provide a substantial boost to the hospital’s ability to cope with demand,” Prof Frankum said.
“This Government has been very good at keeping its promises on building health infrastructure.
“That said, we need to ensure that the public health system is equipped to cope with the growth in demand for hospital services.
“Part of solving that problem is ensuring we have the appropriate facilities but we also need to make sure we have adequate staff numbers,” Prof Frankum said.
“Our public health system has a proven record of efficiency – we are seeing record numbers of patients come through, combined with record acuity of illness and injury.
“Doctors, nurses, and other hospital staff have been adapting to this and continuing to offer very high quality care in the face of a tsunami of patients.
“Upgrades like this one are absolutely necessary because, as is abundantly clear, efficiency can only take you so far.
“We must build hospital capacity at Nepean and throughout the state to ensure we can continue to offer the care that our population needs,” Prof Frankum said.
Media contact: Lachlan Jones 0419 402 955