Peter Gutwein for bipartisanship on health
people have been left behind by the Liberals
unsustainable, propped up by structural underfunding of essential services
Labor Leader Rebecca White
has written to Tasmania’s new Premier Peter Gutwein, seeking a bipartisan
approach to tackling the state’s health crisis.
Ms White said the health of
Tasmanians should be above politics.
“Labor welcomes Peter
Gutwein’s commitment that his government will do more to fix the crisis in
health, and his admission that too many Tasmanians have been left behind.
“We see daily the impact of
chronic underinvestment in the health and hospital system. Elective surgery
waiting lists are at a record high of nearly 11,000 people, and ambulance
ramping at our hospitals is increasing.
“The Launceston General
Hospital is at its highest escalation level more than 70 per cent of the time,
and its emergency department is the worst performing in the country for patient
access block.
“This has been occurring
under the nose of the new Premier in his electorate of Bass. It’s time he took
action. As Premier he must commit to providing the resources the LGH needs to
function effectively.”
Ms White said the change of
Premier provides an opportunity for a change of course.
“Budget cuts have eroded the
public services that Tasmanians rely on, which in turn has created growing
inequality in our community. Peter Gutwein has acknowledged this and committed
to ‘do more’.
“Labor calls on the Premier to
reverse the $450 million in budget cuts that threaten to erode already
stretched public services, including health.
“We stand ready to work with
the government to find ways to resolve the crisis in health.
“The structural underfunding of health must
stop. Peter Gutwein knows from independent analysis conducted by KPMG that
there is a structural deficit in the health budget of around $100 million every
year.
“The Budget is not sustainable when it is underpinned by structural underfunding of essential services.”
Rebecca White
Labor Leader
