Northern Tasmanians are at the centre of a political debate regarding the future of their healthcare, as the Liberal Government, led by Premier Jeremy Rockliff, pledges a $647.5 million investment in the Launceston General Hospital (LGH) Precinct Masterplan.
This plan includes a new seven-storey Northern Health Complex, promising an additional 250 beds and a construction start date of 2028.
However, this vision is met with skepticism and calls for more immediate and comprehensive action from medical professionals.
Rockliff asserts that a “re-elected Liberal Government will future-proof the precinct for decades to come’ and claims the government has been ‘rebuilding each of our major hospitals over the last decade.”
He suggests the new building will enhance capacity, support services in the north and aid in attracting and retaining health professionals.
The Premier also highlights delivered projects such as the new women’s and children’s precinct and helipad, with ongoing work on the Northern Heart Centre, Mental Health Precinct and expanded emergency department.
Despite these assurances, the Australian Medical Association (AMA) Tasmania’s AMA Tasmania Election Priorities 2025 document paints a more critical picture of the state’s health system.
The AMA is ‘alarmed by the ongoing inaction and failings by both levels of government to adequately fund health services to ensure patients receive care within clinically recommended timeframes.’
They argue that this underfunding “places patients at risk and places increasing strain on Tasmania’s health workforce and infrastructure.”
Specifically concerning the LGH, the AMA notes that while the Emergency Department expansion is welcome, the LGH consistently ranks among the nation’s worst for emergency wait times due to broader patient flow issues.
They also highlight that elective surgeries continue to be delayed or cancelled, largely due to bed shortages.
This directly contradicts the Premier’s narrative of a ‘better health system’ and ‘rebuilding’ of major hospitals.
The AMA further asserts that Tasmania’s health infrastructure is no longer fit for purpose’ and that many proposed projects remain aspirational, with no clear funding pathway or realistic delivery timeline.
They estimate that delivering the required health and mental health infrastructure across the state, including new builds, upgrades and maintenance, could cost up to $6 billion by 2035, with no clear strategy for how this will be funded currently in place.
This raises questions about the long-term funding strategy for the ambitious LGH project, which is planned to be funded through reprioritised capital from Marinus from the 2025-26 Budget.
Furthermore, AMA Tasmania emphasises that Tasmania’s health system is critically understaffed, particularly in the north and north-west, where services rely heavily on locums and international medical graduates (IMGs) some of whom require higher levels of supervision.
They deem this situation unsustainable and unsafe. They specifically point out that staffing pressures at the Launceston General and North West Regional Hospitals have “surpassed safe supervision limits.”
This ongoing workforce crisis could significantly impact the effectiveness of any new infrastructure, as buildings alone do not provide patient care.
The AMA calls for urgent, targeted recruitment package for doctors commencing in January 2026 and incentives such as guaranteed accommodation and an attraction and retention allowance for the north.
In essence, while the Liberal Government presents the LGH Precinct Masterplan as a cornerstone of improved healthcare for northern Tasmanians, medical bodies highlight a deeper crisis requiring not just new buildings, but also sustained funding, a robust workforce plan and a clear strategy to address systemic issues that continue to impact patient care and staff well-being.
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