Rosalie Woodruff MP | Greens Health spokesperson
Following last night’s damning national exposé of avoidable deaths in Tasmanian hospitals, Premier Will Hodgman continues to falsely claim his government has not cut the Health Budget. Instead, unbelievably, he claims they have increased health spending.
Andrea Dawkins MP | Greens’ Member for Bass
There is an unfolding disaster for patients at the Launceston General Hospital, as a result of Health Minister, Michael Ferguson's failure to respect clinical staff in the State's hospitals.
For the Director of Surgery at the LGH to leave in such a fashion paints a picture of a hospital in crisis. The flow on effects Dr Kirkby’s resignation are yet to be felt fully.
Andrea Dawkins MP | Greens' Member for Bass
Last week the Royal Hobart Hospital Department of Psychiatric Medicine lost their RANZCP accreditation, this week the Launceston General Hospital has been left with no permanent psychiatrist, and the Registrar fully booked.
Northern mental health patients presenting at the LGH with acute issues won’t be able to be seen by a psychiatrist or registrar. These are people who are often in serious states of mental ill health.
Rosalie Woodruff MP | Greens' Health spokesperson
The Health Minister's response to the damning expert report into the Launceston General Hospital has been to open 3 single bed rooms and dress up 12 beds that have been in use for a year as “new”.
There are no new beds being funded for medical inpatients at the LGH. Minister Ferguson has simply lifted the axe that’s been hovering over 12 beds and staff currently in operation in ward 4D.
Rosalie Woodruff MP | Greens' Health spokesperson
The report of the expert review on the State's two biggest hospitals was handed to the Health Minister last August. Armed with this information, he continued to ignore the requests of hospital staff and clinicians to fix the problems.
The report has been publicly released after the Greens sought a copy through Right to Information. If the Liberals were really putting "patients first", they would've acted on this report immediately, not kept it hidden for six months.
Andrea Dawkins MP | Greens' Member for Bass
The Health Minister today failed to explain why knee and hip surgery patients who were sent interstate for operations weren't receiving adequate post-operative care at the Launceston General Hospital.
There are reports these patients are not receiving appropriate care plans upon release from hospital. In some instances, a Hobart-based gastric sleeve surgeon has travelled to Launceston to see them.
