South Australia’s public hospitals are facing significant strain, with the Australian Medical Association painting a grim picture of a system struggling to cope.
The AMA’s “logjam finder” tool reveals that South Australia is the worst performing state when it comes to providing timely patient care.
Using a traffic light system, the tool shows major public hospitals receiving six or more red lights across eight measured categories.
The Royal Adelaide Hospital (RAH) received almost all red lights, indicating that timely care is only provided when a patient’s life is at risk.
“If there’s a blockage somewhere, hence the term hospital logjam, then it slows down the whole system,” an AMA spokesperson said.
Despite the health minister’s focus on adding beds, ramping figures continue to rise, reaching a record high of more than 4100 in March.
“It doesn’t matter who you speak to or which data you look at, our health system is on its knees in SA,” shadow health minister Ashton Hurn said.
Health Minister Chris Picton acknowledges the RAH’s poor performance, attributing it to the hospital’s heavy patient load.
He emphasised efforts to alleviate pressure by adding beds to other hospitals, including Lyell McEwin, Modbury, Queen Elizabeth, Flinders, and Noarlunga.
However, the AMA believes these measures are insufficient to address the systemic issues plaguing South Australia’s healthcare system.
