The government’s failure to address its reliance on
locum medical officers is only adding to the stress felt by many public sector
workers.
Two years ago, the Government committed to addressing this issue and to date little has changed.
A Right to Information request submitted six months ago – and only released recently – shows the government spent $33 million on medical locums and $21 million on visiting medical officers in 2020-2021 alone.
This is $54 million the government could have spent to support and retain existing staff, improve pay and conditions and employ medical professionals across the state, especially on the North-West Coast.
Today’s Aged
Care Roundtable is important, but it’s time the Health Minister addressed other
critical factors contributing to bed block, including staff shortages and a
lack of beds in our hospital system.
Tasmania deserves a full-time Health Minister who is focused on getting the
basics right and fixing the staffing crisis across our health system
Anita Dow MP
Shadow Minister for Health
