Can’t Even Assist Pregnant Women to Stop Smoking
www.tas.greens.org.au
The Tasmanian Greens today called on Health Minister Lara Giddings to reveal what has happened to funds set aside two years ago to set up smoking cessation programs in Tasmania’s three major public hospitals, following the revelation that not all of the staff positions required to run the programs have been filled.
Greens Health and Human Services spokesperson Cassy O’Connor MP said QUIT Tasmania has also confirmed that the Bartlett Government has failed to fund programs to help pregnant women stop smoking.
Ms O’Connor also said that during debates on the health impacts of Triazine contamination in Tasmanian drinking water, Health Minister Giddings regularly links Tasmania’s high rates of cancer and other serious diseases to the high smoking rate in the state, but her subsequent failure to properly implement promised smoking cessation programs reflects poorly on her priorities.
“Funds were set aside years ago to pay for smoking cessation programs in all three major Tasmanian public hospitals, and the Health Minister’s failure to implement those programs is an indictment of her ability to manage one of the worst health issues in Tasmania,” said Ms O’Connor.
“There was no answer given or excuse made for the Minister’s failure to oversee the establishment of anti-smoking programs to help pregnant women cease smoking.”
“While debating Triazine contamination of Tasmania’s drinking water and the state’s high cancer rates the Minister has expressed concern about the serious health effects of Tasmania’s high rate of smoking, but at the very same time she is failing to implement or properly oversee smoking cessation programs, and the victims of her failure include pregnant women and unborn children.”
“We also had no justification from the Minister today for the fact that the Bartlett Government persistently under-funds anti-smoking media campaigns compared with other states, which are reducing smoking rates, unlike Tasmania where smoking rates are going up, not down,” said Ms O’Connor.
Cassy O’Connor MP Greens Health and Human Services spokesperson
