7 January 2020 - The nation’s public hospitals are “stretched to the max” and are beginning to buckle under the strain of an ageing population that is living longer, having more operations and experiencing greater prevalence of chronic disease.

Emergency departments are seeing more patients than ever, with almost a third of patients waiting longer than the targeted time for treatment, and hospitals are being swamped with increasing numbers of patients requiring elective surgery, blowing out waiting lists.

The Australian Medical Association has issued a fresh warning that a lack of investment in primary care and planning for an ageing population is putting extra pressure on an already overburdened public health system.

Read The Australian article