Maths whiz required for Royal conundrum

FORGET about the Riemann hypothesis. Disregard Jacobson’s conjecture. Stop trying to find a solution to Hilbert’s fifteenth problem.

The most astonishing unsolved problem in mathematics today is the number of beds at the Royal Hobart Hospital.

Questions over how many beds there are at Hobart’s major hospital — and how many there will be in future — seriously derailed yesterday’s good news press conference.

They seem like simple questions. But expect answers like these:

“That’s a big equation.”

“Basically, however … we can … I can … I’m happy to explain it …” And “It’s not easy to answer.”

The exact number of beds at the Royal at any given time has been one of Hobart’s most closely guarded secrets for some years.

Legend — and Wikipedia — put the number at around 500 beds. Official websites say around 470, tops.

Former health minister Michael Ferguson put the figure at 505 in parliamentary budget estimates hearings this year — although for some reason he counted 22 beds at the Repatriation Hospital. So let’s say 483.

The figure of 383 beds from Sarah Courtney at yesterday’s press conference was a new one for most observers — even journalists, who are notoriously bad at maths.

The Government yesterday announced an additional 44 beds on top of the 215 promised to open at the new K-Block in February.

But what will be the total number of beds at the Royal at the end of the first stage of the redevelopment? It is assuredly not 383 plus 215 plus 44. (That figure is 642, by the way.)

The Government has promised 100 extra beds at the Royal in the next four years and 250 at the Royal and the Repatriation Hospital combined. The number is probably around 620, a government spokeswoman helpfully ventured yesterday.

That would be Michael Ferguson’s 483 beds plus a few more, or Sarah Courtney’s 383 plus a lot more. What’s a hundred beds between friends?

Mathematics’ most prestigious prize — the Fields Medal — surely beckons for anyone who can say for sure.