WESTERN Health has welcomed the federal government's sweeping healthcare reforms, predicting they will provide faster hospital care for patients while allowing hospital networks to maintain important management control.
The four-year $890million deal brokered between the federal government and Victoria promises to provide funding for 332 extra sub-acute beds to treat 5000 extra patients each year.
A further pledge to slash waiting times for 150,000 emergency patients and 34,000 seeking elective surgery has been greeted enthusiastically by Western Health spokesman Andrew Williamson.
"A key feature is additional resources to assist in reducing waiting times for elective surgery and easing the pressure on emergency departments."
While the federal government will become the dominant partner in a 60-40 funding split, the plan is for the state to continue to manage the health system with networks such as Western Health, an arrangement that could be unsustainable, says Western Region Health Centre CEO Lyn Morgain. The risk of Commonwealth financial control could result in lack of sensitivity at a local level, she said.
Email a friend