In an admission that the Liberals have broken Tasmania’s health system, today Sarah Courtney announced yet another restructure of the Health Department.
Shadow Health Minister Sarah Lovell welcomed some belated action but said the community had more questions than answers.
“Six months after the Liberals sacked the Secretary of the Health Department and eight months after Michael Ferguson’s Access Solutions meeting, we have finally seen Sarah Courtney do something,” Ms Lovell said.
“This comes after the Liberals dismantled the health system in its first term after promising to fix the Tasmanian health system.
“As it turns out, almost every indicator has gone backwards thanks to the Liberals funding cuts and mismanagement.
“Almost 11,000 people are waiting for important surgeries, the worst it’s been in Tasmania’s history. Ambulance response times are the worst in the country. Tasmania’s emergency departments are the worst in Australia in terms of access block and emergency department waits of more than 24 hours.
“As recently as this week, Peter Gutwein still had no idea when the new beds will open at the Royal Hobart Hospital, despite promises that it would be open in 2018.
“This is the Liberals’ legacy on health. It’s one of failure, cuts and mismanagement. While some action today is welcome, it should never have got to this point.”
Sarah Lovell MLC – Shadow Health Minister
