Rosalie Woodruff MP | Greens' Health spokesperson
Health Minister, Michael Ferguson, needs to take his fingers out of his ears and start listening to the doctors and nurses in the Royal Hobart Hospital. If he doesn’t, southern Tasmanians are looking at a Christmas-crisis in the Emergency Department.
The Royal Hobart Hospital Medical Staff Association and the Australian Nursing and Midwifery Federation have presented at least three options to create more beds and protect Tasmanians’ lives during the Christmas and New Year peak period. Mr Ferguson needs to respond immediately.
Minister Ferguson’s mismanagement is causing constant Emergency Department bed block at the Royal, and he’s depending on tired staff to continue working double shifts.
Just yesterday, 12 patients had been waiting more than 12 hours for beds. There’s nothing normal, or responsible, about waiting that long for emergency medical care.
The situation has got worse with the decant to the temporary hospital building of upstairs wards. The Minister knew this would be a consequence of the redevelopment, but hasn't accounted for it.
So far the Minister has refused to put in the minimum resources that the Royal Hobart Hospital needs to deal with the everyday inflow of patients in acute need.
The Minister can take the advice of his staff on the ground, or he will be responsible for a bedlam at Christmas that nobody wants.