Health Minister Michael Ferguson must immediately guarantee hospital beds for dementia and sub acute patients that are facing closure around the State remain open.
“Mr Ferguson has known since May last year that funding for these 40 beds would cease in April,” Shadow Minister for health Rebecca White said today.
“If Mr Ferguson does not act the Jasmine Unit at the Roy Fagen Centre in Hobart and the John L. Grove Unit in Launcestson will close and 10 sub acute beds at the North-West Regional Hospital in Burnie will be lost.
“It is not good enough for Mr Ferguson to simply blame the Federal Government for these closures when he has failed to negotiate alternative funding or make an allocation in the State budget to keep them open.
“Having these beds open is a better and more efficient way of treating patients.
“Closing them not only affects care, especially for dementia patients, but it also costs the hospitals more and means that beds will be filled and no longer available for elective surgery.
“Under the Liberal Government, waiting lists for elective surgery have blown out by 28.8% at the Royal Hobart Hospital, 17.6% at the Launceston General Hospital and 17.4% in the North West.
“Closing 40 beds will have a further devastating impact on waiting lists and see more people wait longer for surgery right across Tasmania.
“Michael Ferguson has already broken promises not to cut frontline health jobs, the elective surgery waiting list is getting longer and now he is planning to close an additional 40 beds.
“If he wants to be taken seriously on health reform he needs to stop attacking jobs and services in our hospitals.
Rebecca White MP Shadow Health Minister
