Australia’s public and private hospitals recorded 11.6 million admissions at the height of the pandemic in 2021/22, costing taxpayers billions and placing staff under pressure.
The number of patients who were positive for COVID-19 surged between 2020/21 and 2021/22, from 4700 to 263,400.
Of those 263,400 patients with the virus, three per cent required intensive care, 1.3 per cent required ventilation and two per cent of patients died in hospital.
About 20 per cent of hospitalisations involving a COVID-19 diagnosis included one or more comorbidities such as type 2 diabetes (12 per cent) or cardiovascular disease (11.6 per cent).
Australians aged 65 and over accounted for 43 per cent of hospital admissions in 2021/22, despite making up 17 per cent of the population.
Latest figures for 2021/22 showed admissions eased by 2.1 per cent from the year before, after recording a 6.3 per cent increase in 2020/21, according to Australian Institute of Health and Welfare data.
Prior to the pandemic, hospitalisations increased by an average of 3.3 per cent per year between 2014/15 and 2018/19, according to institute spokesman Adrian Webster.
“The peak of the pandemic has thrown the steady growth trend off balance,” he said.
Dr Webster added in many cases patients were admitted to hospital with COVID-19, but not necessarily requiring treatment for the virus.
“While there has been a substantial increase in the number of hospitalisations involving a COVID-19 diagnosis, this does not necessarily reflect the severity of the illness; it could be related to the widespread nature of COVID-19,” he said.
Australian Medical Association president Steve Robson said many hospitals remained under pressure to clear elective surgery backlogs.
“This data shows our public hospitals remain under incredible pressure, although the number of patients admitted actually fell,” Professor Robson said.
“We need real reform to the national hospital funding agreement, which is currently being reviewed and an immediate injection of funds from all governments to help tackle the issues facing our hospitals.”
Australian Associated Press