Your views: on emptier hospitals, and a council election
Today, readers comment on fewer RAH emergency department arrivals, and Adelaide City Council concerns about health risks of a ward supplementary election.
Photo: Tony Lewis / InDaily
Commenting on the story: “Record low” RAH numbers as pandemic empties nation’s emergency departments
One of the unforeseen and unintended effects of this pandemic is actually a huge decrease in costs to the routine state health budget.
No elective surgery, all OPD clinics going Telehealth with probable reduction in patients reviewed, decreased administrative staff, decreased nursing staff costs due to decrease inpatients, decreased elective surgery and decreased emergency department presentations, reduction in ICU admissions due to decrease in trauma, elective surgery ICU related admissions and general decrease in admissions to ICU from emergency department.
It would be interesting to know if the SA department of health actually saves money over this time period when balanced against costs of Wakefield upgrade, ventilators, face masks etc.
This is not a criticism but an observation. If the coronavirus had got out of control then all those savings would evaporate, and it would be a huge financial burden.
So one of the paradoxical benefits of the management of coronavirus could be a financial saving in the health budget.
Of course this may also disappear once we resume normal settings due to increased activity, but that may be a long time coming. – Mark Stevens
Commenting on the story: City council seeks “urgent” election advice amid virus fears
The Adelaide City Council has become dysfunctional and a bit of a club.
The State Government should appoint an administrator to run our flagship with a view to compulsory amalgamations to effectively reduce the number of councils, like Jeff Kennett did in Victoria some time ago.
Compulsory pruning of the dead wood. – Bill Hecker
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