The Baillieu Government had more than one and a half thousand public hospital beds closed across Victoria between 23 December 2011 and 25 January 2012.
The figure is more than double the number of beds nurses closed during the peak of their industrial action between 12 and 26 November 2011.
The beds, closed for all or part of the period between 23 December 2011 and 25 January 2012, included intensive care beds, paediatric beds, surgical beds, coronary care beds and sub-acute beds.
The Australian Nursing Federation (Victorian Branch) will publish the ‘Baillieu Government bed closure toll' regularly to ensure transparency and accountability in the lead up to any ‘new bed' announcements the Government makes to fulfil its election promise to open 800 new hospital beds.
Australian Nursing Federation (Victorian Branch) Secretary Lisa Fitzpatrick said: "The Baillieu Government must revise its election promise - it doesn't just have to open 800 beds, it now has to open 2316 beds.
"ANF's bed audit is a biopsy of the health system and the diagnosis is grim. Our hospitals are very sick and failing the people of Victoria. If the Baillieu Government keeps underfunding hospitals the only thing left to do will be an autopsy of the health system," she said.
ANF is also counting closed public hospital beds in response to the bed closure outrage expressed by Premier Ted Baillieu, Health Minister David Davis and senior public hospital executives during the nurses' recent industrial action.
On 14 November 2011 Health Minister David Davis in an interview with Neil Mitchell on 3AW 693 said: "Clearly lives are at risk as hundreds of beds are closed."
Ms Fitzpatrick said: "This Government's legacy will be Baillieu's health lottery. The gamble is will you get a bed, will you get your surgery and will you get a nurse with three-years training or a health assistant with three-months training looking after you?
"Shutting 1516 beds is unacceptable from a government that says closing beds risks lives," she said.
"Hospitals have been forced to close beds, even whole wards, to meet the Baillieu Government's budget cuts. Victorian hospitals haven't had one and a half thousand beds closed because patient demand has dropped dramatically," Ms Fitzpatrick said.
"This can't be explained by a ‘realignment' of hospital services. There aren't fewer people attending emergency departments. People don't suddenly have fewer strokes in January. People still have medical conditions requiring hospitalisation," Ms Fitzpatrick said.
"Approximately 40 per cent of the closed beds were surgical beds. We accept surgeons take a break, but summer holidays would not account for all of these surgical bed closures," Ms Fitzpatrick said.
"ANF is confident the AMA will share nurses' and midwives' concerns about the closure of so many hospital beds because the doctors have also been keeping a tally on the Baillieu Government's bed closures and ward closures and have continually called on the Government to reveal where its promised new beds will be delivered," she said.
"The Baillieu Government expressed public outrage and provided daily details about the number of closed beds during the nurses' industrial action. Where's the Government outrage when it has 1516 beds closed?" Ms Fitzpatrick said.
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