Australian Doctors Exhausted by Failing Health System: Survey

CANBERRA:
A new survey on Monday revealed that many Australian doctors were exhausted amid intense pressure on the “failing” health system.

John Wilson, the outgoing president of the Royal Australasian College of Physicians (RACP), revealed a RACP survey that found 87 per cent of doctors were experiencing burnout, potentially causing major risks to patient safety, reports Xinhua news agency.

It comes amid a “perfect storm” of surging coronavirus cases, staff shortages and the resurgence of influenza after pandemic restrictions largely mitigated its spread over the last two years.

Wilson in May resigned from a hospital in Melbourne after 30 years, declaring he could no longer work in a “failing” system.

“It’s at a stage now where practitioners, not only in medicine but also in nursing and allied health, are all thinking, ‘Why am I doing this? It’s not actually good for my health, and may in fact be dangerous’,” he told local media.

“Doctors are run off their feet and getting burned out. Beds are not available and waiting times are growing. The healthcare system that we’re working in at the moment now is failing and the evidence of that is absolutely clear,” he said.

Australia on Monday reported more than 20,000 new Covid-19 infections and 19 deaths.