Victorian Opposition Leader Jess Wilson has committed to 10 new or expanded patient transit lounges in hospitals across the state if she becomes premier after the November election.
The concept diverts patients who are medically ready to leave hospital but waiting for final medication, transport or final discharge arrangements from inpatient wards to a discharge lounge.
About 30 per cent of Victorians who present to emergency departments are not seen in the recommended time, according to the latest quarterly statistics from the state's health department.
Ambulance ramping continues to strain the system according to the figures, with 28 per cent of patients from ambulance transfers not seen within 40 minutes.
The exit lounges would be delivered under the $99 million Patient Transit Lounge Fund, with locations where overcrowding is worst and ambulance ramping is most severe to be prioritised.
"We'll work with the health services...whether that's expanding existing transit lounges that are already successful...providing additional workforce to support that expansion or the establishment of new transit lounges as well," Ms Wilson said on Monday.
Dedicated transit lounges exist in several Victorian hospitals, including Royal Melbourne Hospital in Parkville, Footscray Hospital, University Hospital Geelong, Latrobe Regional Hospital and Goulburn Valley Health in Shepparton.
The pledge comes amid widespread workforce strikes and allegations public hospitals are facing significant financial pressures.
Victorian Treasurer Colin Brooks said there were "a number of challenges across the different health networks".
"What's important at this point in time is that we work, with the health department, with each of those health networks, to make sure we resource them properly," Mr Brooks said.
Thousands of public hospital doctors walked off the job on Thursday in a statewide strike, citing unsafe workloads, exhaustion and unpaid overtime.
The state government put a pay offer to the union during last-minute negotiations late last week, which has been presented to union members.
The 12-month agreement includes a 10 per cent pay rise for junior doctors over the next 12 months and a $25,000 lump sum payment for specialists.
The agreement exists outside the 2026 EBA, which the union will continue bargaining over with the government following the election.
"We are absolutely keen to make sure they are properly remunerated for the work they are doing," Mr Brooks said.
It is the second health pitch from the coalition in as many days, after Ms Wilson on Sunday announced a plan to contract private hospitals to help cut the state's ballooning elective surgery waitlist.
The latest Freshwater poll published by the Herald Sun shows Labor's primary vote down one point to 24 per cent, the coalition is also down, but leading at 29 per cent and One Nation is steady at 22 per cent.
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