Aussie patients flock to emergency rooms amid rising health costs
AUSTRALIA — Amid rising healthcare costs, Australian patients are going to emergency rooms instead of setting appointments with general practitioners.
According to the latest report on government health services covering 2022-23, 7% of respondents said they had avoided seeing a general practitioner because of rising costs. This is double last year’s figure and the highest in the 10 years since reporting started.
This surge in demand for emergency services has placed pressure on Australia’s healthcare systems.
Most medical services, including general practitioner fees, ambulances, and pharmacist services, have seen the cost per person of services rise over the past year.
Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP) has been pushing for additional funding for the primary health network for years. According to RACGP Nicole Higgins, a healthier population would translate to an additional AUD$4 billion (US$2 billion) in economic activity.
“General practice helps people live healthier, and it needs to be affordable for everyone. Because when people can’t afford it, they get sicker and go to hospital, which costs taxpayers much more. A typical GP consult is $40, whereas a hospital visit costs $600,” she said, per The Mandarin.
