Rosalie Woodruff MP | Greens Health spokesperson
The government's plan to shift over $27M from the Consolidated Fund into health is clear evidence of a system that needs more support than it's getting.
The shocking image of a 95 year old woman lying on the floor of emergency for hours, skyrocketing elective surgery waiting lists and nurses working double shifts, show just how chronically underfunded the health system is.
The system needs more money and the Minister should budget for predicted shortfalls and not have to top it up mid-way through the financial year.
The Liberals are happy to top up funds to health with $27M from the Treasurer's vault, but still haven't addressed the $1.7 billion of Commonwealth cuts in their budget accounting.
Minister Ferguson is running the public health system on the bare minimum and has only drip fed extra dollars in when he's had to cover up public outrage, been threatened with staff strikes, and had bottom-of-the-list national indicators.
Unless the government covers the Commonwealth cuts and commits to permanent funding for doctors, nurses and community health organisations, Tasmanians will continue to have some of the worst health in the nation.
Funding cuts have seriously hurt our health system and the government has to address that now if the Liberals' target of the best health in the nation by 2025 is going to be anything but a pipedream.