The ACT's public health system is treating a record number of patients but growing demand and staff shortages mean some patients are facing long waits or being referred to interstate hospitals.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
There were 103,000 acute care service admissions to ACT public hospitals in 2011-12, up from 94,000 in 2009-10, according to the ACT Health Directorate's annual report.
Staff provided almost 324,000 outpatient services - 23,000 more than had been planned for - largely due to higher than expected demand for ophthalmology, thoracic medicine, plastic surgery, endocrinology, paediatrics and ear nose and throat services.
More than 11,000 patients underwent elective surgery, including 353 in private hospitals at taxpayers' expense.
In June, 898 patients were identified as facing ''long waits'' for surgery, down from 1431 in 2010-11.
Only 55 per cent of emergency department patients were seen on time but almost all patients requiring radiotherapy began treatment within clinically appropriate times and there was a big increase in the number of breastscreens performed.
But shortages of specialist staff, such as geriatricians, haemotologists and ophthalmologists had caused problems.
A lack of geriatricians had led to the temporary closure of beds at Calvary Hospital.
Due to a large number of patients requiring injections to treat macular degeneration, the Canberra Hospital eye clinic had been forced to temporarily close its books to new clients.
Children requiring routine treatment for the eye condition strabismus were being referred to Sydney hospitals.
Long waiting lists in paediatrics had been addressed through the recruitment of extra staff.
Health director-general Peggy Brown said she was proud of the services that staff delivered.
''It's growing each and every year - we're getting the staff, we're delivering better results year-on-year in many areas of the service. And I think that's the thing that the population of Canberra doesn't necessarily appreciate,'' Dr Brown said.
Dr Brown said a shortage of private specialists in areas such as ophthalmology had seen more patients turning to the public sector for treatment.
''A number of private ophthalmologists have retired over the past three to five years and they haven't been replaced by new upcoming people and so that has pushed some of the demand into the public sector,'' she said.
''What we aim for is a balance between the public and the private and if that's not there then people come to the public.''
