The State Government is putting Tasmania’s health system at further risk, with no plan to fill the shortfall of health workers who face the sack this weekend if they are not vaccinated.
Shadow Health Minister Anita Dow said, with the health system already at breaking point, the government must have a plan in place to keep it operating safely beyond Sunday.
“The Gutwein Government has rightly mandated COVID vaccines for Tasmania’s health workers,” Ms Dow said.
“The Health Department Secretary says workers in public and private health care will be required to have had one dose of a vaccine, or evidence of a vaccination booking by 31 October, or they will be sacked.
“But the Health Minister Jeremy Rockliff told Parliament this morning that, with just five days remaining until the deadline, only 90 per cent of health workers have been vaccinated.
“That leaves around 1,300 workers who need to comply with the Sunday deadline or lose their jobs.
“Even if vaccination rates rise by several per cent over the next five days, there may still be hundreds of health workers who will be out of the health system entirely by next Monday.
“If that happens, it’s not clear how health services across the State will be impacted and what will become of our already over-stretched health system?
“Labor supports mandatory vaccines for health workers to keep Tasmanians and our health care workers safe, and we would encourage all remaining health workers to take the steps needed to comply with Sunday’s deadline.
“But it is deeply concerning that, when asked in Parliament this morning, the Health Minister couldn’t state how many health care workers had advised they would not be vaccinated and had no plan for what would be done to fill the shortfall when unvaccinated workers are dismissed en masse this weekend.
“The government must make its plan clear as we approach Sunday’s deadline.”
Anita Dow MP
Shadow Health Minister
