Tasmanians continue to be let down by the health system, with the latest health dashboard data showing fewer than half of all emergency department patients are seen within four hours in both Hobart and Launceston.
Not only that but more than 500 people left the ED without being seen at all in November.
And to make matters even worse, ambulance response times are also rising again – at 14.9 minutes the longest they’ve been since last December – and the dental waitlist is also the longest it’s been for 12 months.
Only Labor has a plan to fix the health system, starting with a more than $60 million investment across the state to expand services at our 18 district hospitals and health centres.
Under Labor’s Right Priorities Plan, more than $60 million will be invested across the state to expand services at our 18 district hospitals and health centres, providing emergency care across our regions and allowing people to return home from major hospitals for palliative care, rehabilitation and wound management.
This will be underpinned by a $28.4 million workforce plan, to employ 18 rural generalist doctors and a band of nurse practitioners, nurses and allied health professionals to support our regional patients.
We will also pay the HECS-HELP debt of 150 health workers who are dedicated to spending three years working in regional parts of Tasmania and employ another 21 paramedics around the state.
Tasmanians deserve timely health care but after 10 years, this tired, minority Liberal government is failing to make a difference and Tasmanians continue to suffer.
Anita Dow MP
Shadow Minister for Health, Mental Health, and Wellbeing
