According to a report by the British newspaper The Guardian on August 4th, patients in New South Wales, Australia were advised to avoid visiting emergency rooms unless their lives are in danger. This is because the number of people seeking medical help during winter in this state has reached record levels, putting pressure on the hospital system.
The state's Health Minister Ryan Parker said on the same day that Sydney's emergency departments received nearly 10,000 patients on Monday, setting a “record for the highest number of patients in a single winter day ever recorded”. This was about 1,000 more than the average. On the same day, there were 4,100 ambulance calls, far exceeding expectations.
Facing the pressure from a medical system on the verge of its limits, New South Wales Governor Chris Minns said that the state’s emergency services are facing “the most challenging three weeks of this year”.
"As long as you can go to an emergency care clinic or a general practitioner (GP), try to do so... If your condition is not life-threatening, we sincerely suggest you do so, so that the doctors and nurses can concentrate their energy and focus on caring for those patients who are close to death."
He said while receiving a 2GB radio interview at the time, all beds in the emergency waiting area behind the critical care ward were "occupied".
The situation is so serious. He repeated it.
Furthermore, an RN at Sydney's Royal Prince Alfred Hospital Emergency Department revealed that waiting times for appointments were as long as 10 hours on Monday.
Because outpatient services in Australian hospitals usually require a referral letter from a general practitioner before treatment can be received, “avoiding the emergency room” essentially means advising people not to go to the hospital. The Guardian also pointed out this point in their headline.
Mins said that this year's flu season has “began late, but is now having a severe impact” on the healthcare system. On the same day, the New South Wales government announced the establishment of a permanent command center, which will work together with 17 local health districts and ambulance services to divert patients from overburdened emergency departments. The operating hours of some hospitals will be extended until evening and weekends.
Health Minister Parker criticized the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS), stating that 1,300 elderly care or NDIS program patients were "stuck" in hospitals, taking up already scarce hospital beds. He said that the emergency director of Westmead Hospital complained that "one of the challenges is how to get these people off the beds and back into the community."
Mins attributed part of the problem to “historical investment deficiencies”, especially in Western Sydney region.
Against the criticism of party leader Kerry Slon, the government told the public “do not go to emergency rooms unless absolutely necessary” is "a shocking situation." Fred Betros, chairman of the New South Wales Medical Association in Australia, directly stated: “Telling patients to avoid emergency departments is not a sound healthcare strategy," and he accused this of being "not an unanticipated crisis.” He called for an increase in consulting physicians, fully equipped beds, and an investment in preventative care, general practice, and public clinic care.
