Western Australia: Perth's hospitals in crisis: AMA

[The 12 year old that just died was from Perth]

Tue Aug 4, 2009

The AMA says Perth's hospitals are failing to cope, with some patients being forced to wait more than 12 hours.

The AMA says about 50 patients were forced to wait for a bed at Royal Perth Hospital. (ABC: Graeme Powell, file photo)

The Australian Medical Association (AMA) says Perth's hospitals are at crisis point and are failing to cope with an influx of patients during the flu season.

It says ambulances were queuing up yesterday and last night to admit patients, who are waiting more than 12 hours to be admitted.

The AMA's vice president, Dave Mountain, says at last report 40 patients were waiting for beds at Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital and another 50 at Royal Perth.

Sir Charles Gairdiner has also been forced to cancel 13 elective surgery procedures this week because of the increase in the number of patients with respiratory problems.

There has also been a big increase in the number of children attending the emergency department at Princess Margaret Hospital.

Dr Mountain says the Government must deliver on a promise to fix the problem.

"We need the rhetoric from the last election campaign, that they understood that we needed capacity and beds and nurses in our system, to actually be delivered rather than implement 3 per cent efficiency cuts," he said.