‘Creating an apartheid situation’: Former medical college president says fast-track triage for Indigenous patients is racist
Professor John Wilson says the move is racist and goes against doctors' code of practice.
A hospital policy of triaging all Indigenous patients in ED as category three or above is “creating an apartheid situation”, a former Royal Australasian College of Physicians president claims.
St Vincent’s Hospital Melbourne first implemented the system in April 2024 to ensure Indigenous patients were seen within 30 minutes.
The hospital said average wait times for Indigenous patients previously trailed those for non-Indigenous patients, but with the new policy, wait times are now comparable for both.
It also added that Indigenous patients seen within an hour of presenting were “more likely to remain engaged with care” and stressed that the policy had not affected overall ED access or patient flow.
