Our hospitals and public health system are teetering on the edge of a crisis. Patients spend hours in ambulances waiting to get into emergency departments. Public hospital doctors don’t have permanency and are often fearful of raising concerns about problems with the system. Western Australia’s suicide rate is 21 per cent higher than the Australian average. Long-overdue action on public health policies now, will produce enormous health gains in the future.

The AMA (WA)’s 2021 State Election Priorities document looks at what is lacking in our healthcare system, the statistics and figures that back this up, and the urgent improvements that need to be made.

Western Australia’s next government needs to act now to support and protect the whole community.