Sarah Courtney must show common sense and ensure budgets are released to Tasmania’s public hospitals and health services.
Shadow Health Minister Sarah Lovell said today marks five months since the start of the financial year when operational budgets should have been available.
“Last financial year, significantly more was spent in the health system than was budgeted – government had to top up the health budget.
“This year, we know that the budgeted amount is less than what was spent last year – not even allowing for inflation. And by Sarah Courtney’s own admission, there are more people turning up to hospitals and health services, with increasingly complex conditions.
“The health budget is woefully inadequate, we know it, the Liberals know it, and the frontline workers in our health system know it.
“The only explanation for not providing budgets to health services is the Liberals know the level of backlash their woeful underfunding will receive.”
Ms Lovell said Will Hodgman’s Government has chronically underfunded Tasmania’s public health system, and year on year has had to top up the health budget.
“Until hospitals and health services know what they have to work with this year, how can they manage staffing, or make decisions about provision of services such as elective surgery?
“On one hand the government is promising to hire additional doctors and open new beds; on the other, they’re hiding the true extent of the broken health budget.”
Sarah Lovell
Shadow Health Minister
