Fixing Hospitals: Overview : SBS Insight

Overview

Will the federal government’s health reform work in fixing the problems on the ground?

Currently 238 comments

Nurses, patients and doctors on the inside talk about their experiences on the frontline of public hospitals.

We’ll be discussing bed shortages, staff shortages and waiting times in emergency departments.

Are regional and rural hospitals going to be winners or losers with the health reforms?

We’ll hear from patients who are waiting for elective surgery, and others who have recently had emergency surgery. What do they feel about their experiences in the hospital system?

Meet the Guests

Professor Gary Geelhoed

Gary Geelhoed is the President of the Australian Medical Association in Western Australia. Gary is the Emergency Services Chief at the Princess Margaret Hospital in Perth. He is concerned about the shortage of beds in hospitals.

Ged Kearney

Ged Kearney is the Federal Secretary of the Australian Nursing Federation – the body which represents more than 170,000 nurses around the country. She was a nurse for over 20 years, working in both the public and private sectors. Ged is concerned about the current workloads nurses carry in the public hospital system.

Dr Richard Harris

Richard Harris is a vascular surgeon at the Hornsby Hospital in Sydney . He also works at private hospitals in the area. He has lobbied for the NSW State Government to rebuild Hornsby Hospital. Richard says the rundown buildings at Hornsby hospital may increase infection rates and can create an unsafe working place for staff.

Dr Mark Kennedy

Mark Kennedy is a GP in Geelong. He is concerned about the long waits his patients must suffer before being granted elective surgery. Mark frequently refers patients to rural hospitals outside Geelong where waiting lists for elective surgery are shorter.

Matthew Hollands

Matthew Hollands waited over eight hours in emergency with acute appendicitis at Blacktown Hospital late last year. When he was finally treated, Matthew’s appendix was gangrenous. Matthew’s surgery was a success but he was unhappy with the way his experience was handled.