The Rockliff Liberal Government remains committed to ensuring Tasmanians can access the right healthcare, at the right place, at the right time.
Minister for Health, Guy Barnett, hosted a third roundtable on Thursday in relation to the East Devonport Medical Centre merger with Smartclinic Devonport.
“I want to thank everyone who attended, including Senators Richard Colbeck and Anne Urquhart, Latrobe MLC Mike Gaffney, Devonport Mayor Alison Jarman and Mersey Community Care Association Chief Executive Kathryn Popowski,” said the Minister.
“Our Government is working with the Council and Practice to ensure patients continue to have access to General Practitioner services following the merger; this includes transport support for patients where appropriate and engaging with the Department of State Growth regarding local bus routes.”
Better Medical are also working on a communications plan to ensure the community know who they can contact if they need assistance with accessing services, transport or have questions about their medical records.
The Rockliff Liberal Government has repeatedly stepped in to shore up access to primary health services and continues to lobby the Federal Government to lift its game on its GP responsibilities.
“Without access to timely GP care, more patients end up delaying care and presenting to Emergency Departments,” Minister Barnett said.
“We know approximately 40 per cent of presentations to our EDs could have been seen by GPs or other settings, but due to the failure of the Federal Labor Government to support GPs, patients have no other option than to present to Hospitals.”
The Rockliff Liberal Government has invested in range of primary care related initiatives, including in partnership with the Commonwealth.
These initiatives include the opening of four Medicare Urgent Care Centres across Tasmania, establishing a Single Employer Model pilot to attract and retain General Practitioners in training, as well as a GP After Hours Initiative which supports access to after-hours primary care.
