A western Victoria MP is proposing amendments to nurse-patient ratios at the Warrnambool Base Hospital.
South West Healthcare is currently classified as a level three facility, requiring a ratio of one nurse to every six patients during the afternoon.
However, MP James Purcell is trying to reclassify the hospital as a level two facility.
He said staff were struggling with growing demands.
“It would mean that they would be funded to have more nurses per patient ratio, so their funding would increase and they’d be able to provide even better care for the patients,” he said.
He said many rural facilities should be reclassified.
“The services that Warrnambool provides actually draws patients out of the east of South Australia through the Hamilton area, the Portland area, right north up to Horsham and east down to Geelong,” he said.
“So it’s the catchment area that is one of the important aspects that hasn’t been taken into consideration when looking at what category that it’s in.”