Victoria Labor unveils $1.5bn hospital plan — ABC News Australia

Australia’s Victorian Labor Party has announced a $1.5 billion election plan that provides for the expansion of twelve hospital emergency departments. If re-elected, the government promises to reduce patient waiting times in these departments.

Expansion of departments and new beds

As ABC News reports, Labor plans to increase emergency department capacity by 25%. The party said this could reduce waiting times by up to 20% at five Melbourne hospitals, including Alfred, Austin and Royal Children’s, as well as at regional medical facilities, including hospitals in Bendigo and Ballarat.

The plan also provides for hiring 1,500 healthcare workers, 750 of whom are to be nurses, and adding another 150 hospital beds. The state government said most of the new beds are expected to open next year. State Premier Ben Carroll did not give a timeline for the full implementation of the program.

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Competition between programs ahead of the election

Healthcare has become one of the main campaign issues ahead of the Victorian state election scheduled for November. The Liberal opposition previously unveiled a $1.3 billion plan to reduce elective surgery waiting lists by giving public system patients access to private hospitals.

The Coalition also promised to create or expand ten hospital “discharge lounges” to free up beds, reduce waiting times in emergency departments and cut ambulance delays. Opposition leader Jess Wilson separately said she intended to fund 25,000 additional elective surgeries annually through private hospitals.