HEALTH BUDGET INCREASE OF 5-6% P.A. FOR 4 YEARs | AMA (WA)
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AMA WA ACTION AGENDA

FUNDING & RESOURCING

HEALTH BUDGET INCREASE OF 5-6% P.A. FOR 4 YEARs

WHAT WE WANT

An increase in the health budget by 5-6 per cent to provide more resources for hospital beds and staffing.

WHY WE WANT IT

Over recent years, hospital activity has increased as predicted, yet consistent underinvestment has led to WA having the lowest number of beds per capita of any state or territory in Australia.
The only way out of the current crisis is to invest more money into the health system. This is not the time to hold back on spending – Western Australians are losing their lives.
WA Health must change its financial fixation with cost-cutting to a patient-centred approach towards quality and safety of healthcare delivery.

  • Purposeful funding models should be developed to account for previous underinvestment, and keep pace with growing demand and CPI, avoiding the boom-and-bust budgeting cycles that WA’s health system has previously operated under. This will allow better planning and security of service, with improved long-term efficiencies and reduced overall costs.
  • An ongoing funding basis of CPI plus demand will ensure the system grows with demand and not be starved of funds, as it has been for the last four years.
  • Recent health budget announcements for 2021-22 will only see the operational budget of WA Health increase by 1.25 per cent, which would continue to be totally inadequate.
  • A 5-6 per cent funding increase is needed each year for the next four years to ensure increased bed numbers and associated staffing. This means 5-6 per cent excluding COVID-related expenditure because the increasing demand for tertiary healthcare right now is not COVID-related. Hospital resourcing has not grown in line with increases in demand; we are understaffed and under-resourced.

WHEN IT’S DONE

Enhanced quality and efficiency of care in hospitals, decreased ambulance ramping, and improved workplace culture in WA public hospitals.

BACK TO ACTION AGENDA

AMA (WA) ACTION AGENDA

612 more public hospital beds Health budget increase of 5-6% p.a. for 4 years Save WA’s emergency departments from collapse
Amend Health Services Act to better support doctors A Fair Go: Job Security For Senior Doctors A Fair Go: Portability & Retention Of Entitlements For Doctors Legal privilege for healthcare workers during investigations
State-wide electronic medical record Enhanced services and clinical governance at new women and babies hospital Improved telehealth services and capacity
GP Primary Care Taskforce Independent review of WA Health Corporate Governance Decision-making transparency
Interim quarantine facility Best-practice workplace safety & improved processes to prevent COVID breaches Commonwealth quarantine facility