DELAYS in surgery and fewer hospital beds are likely if the Health Department is forced to make the $450 million in cuts demanded by the Government's razor gang.
The Australian Medical Association and the Australian Nursing and Midwifery Federation said such cuts would have a major impact on front-line services across the state's hospitals, meaning reduced patient care.
The cuts, which could cost up to 4000 jobs, also come at a time when the Health Department is facing a $210 million deficit for the current financial year and is struggling to meet the shortfall.
Details of the cuts, ordered by the Sustainable Budget Commission, were given to the Budget and Finance Committee yesterday by Health Department chief executive Dr Tony Sherbon.
It is understood similar sized cuts have been set down for all Government departments and agencies so Cabinet can look at what sources described as "a suite of possible cuts".
Dr Sherbon said such big cuts could not be delivered without affecting both hospital and out-of-hospital clinical services. "But we are in very hypothetical space here," Dr Sherbon told the committee.
While the commission might have asked for $450 million in savings, he believed the eventual target would be "substantially less".
Dr Sherbon said the health system was already under considerable pressure through extra admissions to emergency service departments, an ageing population and increased staff.
A spokeswoman for Health Minister John Hill said the Government did not comment on these issues in the lead-up to the Budget but she believed Dr Sherbon had made it clear he did not expect the final cuts to be of the magnitude ordered.
AMA state president Dr Andrew Lavender said there was "absolutely no way there is that much fat in the system". "A $450 million cut in spending is the equivalent of shutting down 80 per cent of the Royal Adelaide Hospital," he said.
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