Labor backs commission of inquiry into Tasmania’s health system
After careful consideration, Labor will support an independent commission of inquiry into Tasmania’s health system.
Over recent weeks I’ve consulted across the sector, listening to doctors, nurses, paramedics and health workers about whether a commission of inquiry is the right way forward. Their message has been clear: the system is in crisis, and patching one problem at a time isn’t working.
These are the people who keep our hospitals and ambulances running every day under enormous pressure. They want a full, independent examination of why things keep getting worse.
Enough is enough. In the last month, two Tasmanians have tragically died waiting for an ambulance. Cancer patients are waiting too long for treatment. More than 9,500 Tasmanians are waiting for elective surgery, and another 78,000 are waiting for an outpatient appointment. Too many Tasmanians are being let down.
Health workers know that ramping, bed block, workforce shortages, and waiting lists are all connected, and they need to be fixed together.
Instead of fixing the system, the Liberals are making it worse. Nurses at the Royal Hobart Hospital have been forced to take action over cuts to the Emergency Medical Unit, a service that frees up beds and helps ambulances get back on the road.
Yesterday, nurses and midwives walked off the job because the health system is in crisis.
Bridget Archer’s only health policy is to back Eric Abetz’s $700 million in health cuts.
Tasmanians deserve answers, and they deserve a health system that works. The Liberals have had 13 years to fix it, but they’ve decided to start cutting instead.
