A FORMER doctor at the Royal Hobart Hospital says the State Government is in denial over issues that have plagued the facility for years.

James Freeman trained and worked at the hospital before moving to the private system in search of better pay and conditions.

He sums it up: "Houston, we have a problem!"

Surprisingly, hospital officials agree with many of his comments.

Dr Freeman said it was frustrating to hear of the despair in the public system when most of the problems were relatively easy to fix.

"While a new hospital at some stage in the future is an excellent dream, what is required is substantive action right now," he said.

"This crisis can be addressed but it does require money. Far less money than a new hospital . . . more importantly, it requires motivation."

Dr Freeman said the first issue surrounded the number of acute beds.

In 1980, he said, there were 600 public beds and today there were fewer than 300, mainly because of the introduction of day surgery beds.

"More patients don't fit that well into half as much space," Dr Freeman said.

RHH communications director Pene Snashall said the hospital had a total 550 beds across the Royal, the Repatriation Centre in Davey St and St John's Park at New Town.

Ms Snashall said only 90 of those were for day surgery beds.

"Of the 460 beds remaining, the amount that are available will fluctuate on a daily basis depending on staff availability and staff sick leave," she said.

"And while it has been reported that we only have a 95 per cent occupancy, people have to understand that is because -- being the only public hospital in the South -- we have to balance beds for emergency and beds for elective surgery."

Ms Snashall said this balancing act was difficult and, while it could be done better, it worked.

Dr Freeman also highlighted the lack of nursing staff and pointed to the urgent need for federally funded nursing-home beds for patients being discharged from the RHH -- one of the causes of ambulance ramping.

Simple measures were needed such as reinstating a cleaner to the after-hours theatre and offering childcare facilities to mothers who were nurses.

Until the denial by bureaucrats ended, he said, the treatment and cure of a sick health system was unlikely.

Source: Mercury - The voice of Tasmania - Damien Brown