❓ The question concerns WA's low ICU bed numbers per capita and a perceived decrease in ICU beds. The Minister assures that WA's health system is equipped to handle outbreaks, citing surge capacity and ventilator purchases, emphasizing vaccination as the primary strategy.
AnsweredQoN 613Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
HOSPITALS — INTENSIVE CARE UNIT BEDS
613. Ms L. METTAM to the Minister for Health:
I refer to a recent article in the Medical
Journal of Australia analysing intensive care unit beds across the country.
(1) Why, during
the reportable period, has WA got the lowest number of ICU beds per capita in
the country?
(2) Why has the number of ICU beds
gone backwards in WA over the last 12 months?
613. Ms L. METTAM to the Minister for Health:
I refer to a recent article in the Medical
Journal of Australia analysing intensive care unit beds across the country.
(1) Why, during
the reportable period, has WA got the lowest number of ICU beds per capita in
the country?
(2) Why has the number of ICU beds
gone backwards in WA over the last 12 months?
AnswerView source ↗
(1)–(2) As
the member knows—as all members know—the Department of Health
in Western Australia is more than equipped to deal with any outbreak of the
disease. We proved this back in 2020 when we significantly ramped up our capacity both in public and private
hospitals to make sure that ICU beds were available to surge as
appropriate. Currently, 363 additional ventilators were purchased as part of
the COVID-19 preparations. We have 271
additional ventilators available to be deployed in the event of an ICU surge,
with 219 in metropolitan locations and 52 right across regional Western Australia.
As part of that, we currently have significant surge capacity to make
sure that we can go to 316 ICU beds from a baseline of 111.
But we want to make sure that Western
Australians do not need to rely upon large numbers of people going to hospital
and large numbers of people needing ICU treatment. The way we avoid that is by
making sure that we get vaccinated. As we strive to increase our vaccination
numbers, our borders become most important
of all, making sure that we can keep Western Australians safe until we get our
vaccination n umbers up and, ultimately, to provide ourselves with a soft
landing for our ongoing living with COVID-19.
Our health systems are tried and
true. They were up to the task in 2020; they are up for the task in 2021. We will continue to make sure that we monitor the
number of beds available and that we have the workforce available to ensure that we can surge in the event
of an outbreak of the disease, remembering, of course, that we do not go
from zero to 1 000 cases overnight—that takes a build-up of around
about six months. We have the capacity. We
have the surge capacity and we have the outbreak capacity. I think Western Australians can take comfort in the fact that we were successful in 2020 and we will be
successful in 2021 or whenever we experience an outbreak in the future.
the member knows—as all members know—the Department of Health
in Western Australia is more than equipped to deal with any outbreak of the
disease. We proved this back in 2020 when we significantly ramped up our capacity both in public and private
hospitals to make sure that ICU beds were available to surge as
appropriate. Currently, 363 additional ventilators were purchased as part of
the COVID-19 preparations. We have 271
additional ventilators available to be deployed in the event of an ICU surge,
with 219 in metropolitan locations and 52 right across regional Western Australia.
As part of that, we currently have significant surge capacity to make
sure that we can go to 316 ICU beds from a baseline of 111.
But we want to make sure that Western
Australians do not need to rely upon large numbers of people going to hospital
and large numbers of people needing ICU treatment. The way we avoid that is by
making sure that we get vaccinated. As we strive to increase our vaccination
numbers, our borders become most important
of all, making sure that we can keep Western Australians safe until we get our
vaccination n umbers up and, ultimately, to provide ourselves with a soft
landing for our ongoing living with COVID-19.
Our health systems are tried and
true. They were up to the task in 2020; they are up for the task in 2021. We will continue to make sure that we monitor the
number of beds available and that we have the workforce available to ensure that we can surge in the event
of an outbreak of the disease, remembering, of course, that we do not go
from zero to 1 000 cases overnight—that takes a build-up of around
about six months. We have the capacity. We
have the surge capacity and we have the outbreak capacity. I think Western Australians can take comfort in the fact that we were successful in 2020 and we will be
successful in 2021 or whenever we experience an outbreak in the future.
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