• Minister re-announces beds that already exist as deceit continues
• Launceston General Hospital beds “opened” today already in use
• Minister continues to mislead Tasmanians and badly let down medical staff
Habitually dishonest Health Minister Michael Ferguson has yet again tried to fool Tasmanians into believing he has a solution to the state’s emergency department crisis by re-announcing already open beds.
Shadow Health Minister Rebecca White said Mr Ferguson had today attempted to hoodwink northern Tasmanian residents by “announcing” the opening of the 12-bed Ward 4D at the Launceston General Hospital – despite it already being opened.
“Mr Ferguson is pretending the beds he has announced at the LGH are new when in fact he re-opened them in June last year,” Ms White said.
“How many times is this deeply deceptive Health Minister going to re-announce the opening of this ward when he knows those beds are already available?
“These are not new beds at all – they are existing beds and Mr Ferguson’s trickery today will do nothing to ease the crisis in the LGH emergency department.
“He knows that and the staff who are doing their upmost in very, very difficult circumstances know that.
“Mr Ferguson needs to explain how this will ease pressure on the emergency department which has reached an unprecedented level under his mismanagement.
“The simple fact is that an important review of access to emergency care at both the RHH and LGH has been sitting on Michael Ferguson’s desk for the past six months and at the same time clinicians, nurses and other staff were telling him our EDs were in crisis.
“The report Minister Ferguson tried to keep secret reveals that in August 2016 staff felt “maintaining quality of care” was difficult due to a lack of inpatient beds leading to delays in the ED.
“This was at the time Ward 4D had already been opened at the LGH.
“For the Minister to pretend his re-announcement today of 12 beds in Ward 4D will be enough to ease pressure on the ED disregards concerns of staff on the frontline.
“The only reason Mr Ferguson is attempting to swindle Tasmanians into thinking he suddenly has a solution for the ED crisis is that the report he tried to keep hidden has been released through Right To Information – and they will see right through it.”
Rebecca White MP Shadow Health and Preventative Care Minister