States raise pressure on Canberra to cough up from health coffers

3 months ago 7

State and territory governments seeking billions in federal health funding have emerged from an emergency midweek meeting intent on pushing the Commonwealth to cough up the promised cash.

Queensland Premier David Crisafulli said the meeting with other heads of state — running for 45 minutes on Wednesday morning — had been “very fruitful”.

“We’re taking this forward, and there’s a consensus position to make sure we do that, we’ll do it in a respectful but in a forceful way,” he said.

Premier David Crisafulli said the Commonwealth had a responsibility to deliver promised hospital funding and “rescue” long-stay patients stranded in beds.

The negotiations concern hospital funding pledged to state and territory governments in 2023 by the Commonwealth, which would cover hospital running fees, and allow states to divert their own resources into dedicated aged and disability care centres.

The federal government’s promise included covering 42.5 per cent of public hospital costs by 2030 and 45 per cent by 2035.

“It’s important, it’s something that matters to people,” the premier said.

“When you sit with people who have got loved ones who aren’t getting the dignity of care that they deserve in a dedicated facility and are in an acute ward – that’s no quality of life, and it’s no dignity for someone who’s made a big contribution to the country.”

Crisafulli said the united push from state and territory governments boiled down to the federal government taking responsibility for the funds.

“We’re doing our end of the bargain,” he said.

On Sunday, the premier and Health Minister Tim Nicholls revealed Queensland’s long-stay patients awaiting transfer to a dedicated facility were waiting up to 1000 days, or two years and nine months.

Nicholls said Queensland was “ground zero” for patients stuck in hospitals waiting for more permanent care arrangements, revealing the number of such patients across the state was 1126.

“That is a hospital the size of the Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital, the largest hospital in the state,” he said.

Nicholls revealed patients were waiting the longest in regional hospitals, such as Rockhampton and Townsville, but said Brisbane-region hospitals also had decreased capacities because of long-term patients stuck in them.

“In the Redland [Hospital], for example, 60 beds being occupied in this hospital today are being occupied by stranded patients,” Nicholls said.

The Redland Hospital had about one-fifth of its beds occupied by long-stay patients.

The occupied acute beds in the southern Brisbane hospital accounted for just over one-fifth of its total permanent and temporary capacity.

Speaking on Wednesday, Crisafulli said state and territory governments “right across the map” would speak out before the end of the day to renew calls for the funds they said they were owed.

“This is a national issue, it is a national crisis, and it’s a national responsibility, and states and territories across the board are uniting to rescue these stranded Australians,” the premier said.