A national doctors’ union is calling on the federal and state governments to increase funding for hospital beds, claiming wards are packed to capacity and emergency rooms are clogged.

The Australian Salaried Medical Officers Federation says there are now 38 percent fewer beds than in 1981, when there were 6.4 beds available for every thousand people.

This number has fallen to just 4.

NSW branch president Tony Sara expects the National Health and Hospitals Reform Commission to address this problem in its final report, to be released next week.

But he isn’t hopeful that the government will hand over any money for the extra beds needed.

He spoke with 2SER’s Britta Jorgensen.