The AMA’s 2021 Public Hospital Report Card has again revealed that ACT hospitals are the worst performing in Australia after 20 years of Labor-Greens Government.

"This is a particularly disappointing outcome after the Health Minister has repeatedly promised to improve the health system by October 2021,” Shadow Health Minister Giulia Jones said.

“It’s really shocking that Canberra’s health system is the worst in the country.

“Again, the ACT has the longest emergency department wait-times in the country and the lowest percentage of urgent presentations seen on time. The ACT also has the lowest percentage of patients through the emergency department in four hours or less.

“In January this year the Health Minister promised to have 70 per cent of urgent presentations seen on time by October. That time has passed, and the Minister needs to explain why she failed to meet her own promise.

“We shockingly have no government data on the health impacts of these unacceptable delays in emergency,” Mrs Jones said.

The report shows that Commonwealth funding for the ACT health system is at the highest levels since 2008-9, while ACT Government funding is at one of its lowest.

“This Labor-Greens Government blames everyone else for its own failures, but after 20 years there is no one else to blame.

“The AMA rightly notes that the doctors, nurses and frontline healthcare workers — who have responded tremendously during the COVID-19 pandemic — are frustrated by the Labor-Greens Government’s continued failures that make it harder and harder to provide the quality healthcare the community expects,” Mrs Jones concluded.