The government needs to be upfront with Tasmanians about what the border reopening will mean for the health system, particularly the already ballooning health waitlists.
Shadow Health Minister Anita Dow said with 10,776 Tasmanians already on the elective surgery waitlist, 56,252 Tasmanians waiting to see a specialist and 18,193 Tasmanians waiting to see a public dentist, the health system is clearly not meeting current demand.
“Tasmania’s health system is in crisis, and after almost eight years of ballooning waitlists under the Liberals there is a real risk it will only get worse,” Ms Dow said.
“When we have a COVID outbreak in the state, key surgeries will face cancellation and the thousands of Tasmanians waiting in pain for necessary appointments will be forced to wait even longer.
“How will our health system look when we reopen? What is the government’s plan to manage ballooning wait lists and ensure Tasmanians get access to the elective surgery they so desperately need?”
Ms Dow said the government should have made fixing the health waitlists a priority while we didn’t have any COVID cases in Tasmania, instead they went to an early election.
“The government needs to be upfront with Tasmanians and our health care professionals across the state about what the border opening means, and clearly outline their plan for surge capacity and supporting staff.
“With the December 15 date set in stone it is crucial Tasmanians know what will happen to our health workforce, elective surgery waitlist, emergency department and other health services.
“The biggest risk to our state is that the health system isn’t prepared when borders reopen. People right across the state have rightly raised concerns about the health system’s ability to cope with a COVID outbreak and the government needs to comprehensively address these concerns.”
Anita Dow MP
Shadow Health Minister
