Infighting, Weak Leadership Weighing Down Australian Public Health System: Former State Leader

Infighting, Weak Leadership Weighing Down Australian Public Health System: Former State Leader
Ambulance officers transport a resident from the Epping Gardens aged care facility in the Melbourne suburb of Epping on Jul. 29, 2020, William West/AFP via Getty Images
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Weak political leadership has allowed competing interests to fester in Australian hospitals, leading to extended delays and poorer outcomes for patients, according to a former state leader. The comments come after video emerged in September showing the extensive “ambulance ramping” at one Melbourne hospital during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Ambulance ramping is the time patients spend waiting outside a hospital in an ambulance while emergency departments clear space for them.