Australian Health Minister Greg Hunt has given a press conference to discuss a new, major announcement regarding the integration of healthcare systems.
In an unprecedented move, public and private hospitals will be integrating, to provide vastly expanded care options during the Coronavirus pandemic.
Hunt said, “In these first early stages of progress, we’re flattening the curve. We were at 20-30% growth in cases a week ago. The last three days have been growing at 9%.”
The Minister stressed the need to stay diligent, as this is only early progress. Australians must be observe the social distancing measures put in place as these restrictions are essential to stop those numbers going up again.
Today’s announcement marks a significant move in increasing capacity, with over one million Telehealth conferences have now taken place, and the new integration between public and private systems.
This marks a total additional investment of 5.4 billion in the public healthcare sector.
The Minister announced 34,000 new hospital beds and chairs will be made available from private hospitals to the public healthcare system in an integrated partnership between the Government, the states and the healthcare system.
105,000 part and time time staff, including over 57,000 including nurses and midwives, will be made available to the public healthcare system.
As of 6am this morning, 4359 cases have been confirmed. 19 lives have been lost, and 20 patients are on ventilators. 230,000 tests have completed so far.
There are currently 2200 ventilated intensive care beds in Australia. With the immediate expansion and the purchasing of new machines, and the utilisation of the private sector resources, this can be expanded to 4400. Locally, 500 intensive care ventilators are being made, to be delivered by the end of April.
Nurses and midwives are the centre of Australia’s world class medical system. This new integration means that nurses will need to be flexible and may need to work in a public hospital, or an environment that they’re not used to. Training will be provided for this.
More info to come.
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