Funding gaps keep new Footscray Hospital partially closed and patients waiting days
Six months after opening, Footscray Hospital in Melbourne’s west has many beds and operating theatres shut because of insufficient operational funding and staff, forcing some emergency surgery patients to wait up to 72 hours.
More than half a year after its launch, the new Footscray Hospital is operating far below capacity because the state has not provided the extra funding needed for staff and supplies. About 330 of the hospital’s 500 beds are open, leaving roughly 170 beds and several operating theatres closed, which has resulted in emergency surgery patients waiting up to three days for procedures like gallbladder or colon surgery. A senior doctor, speaking anonymously, said patients are even leaving the emergency department in frustration after such delays.
Emergency-surgery demand in Western Health has jumped 51 percent in five years, while median ED wait times at the hospital are 31 minutes, twice the statewide average. The Victorian Agency for Health one outlet confirmed the prolonged waits, and the Australian Medical Association Victoria’s Simon Judkins warned that staffing freezes and funding gaps are a systemic issue across Victorian hospitals. Officials, including Health Minister Ingrid Stitt and Western Health acting COO Jason Plant, say the hospital will continue to scale up services as funding is secured.
Why it matters
The story highlights how funding shortfalls can cripple newly built hospitals, delaying urgent care for thousands of patients.
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