The Liberal Government is committed to delivering a health system which genuinely meets the needs of Tasmanians.
We are also committed to working through our own budget process to deliver a State Budget that minimises the impact of the Federal Labor Green budget black-hole on vulnerable Tasmanians.
Today I can confirm that the Tasmanian Government will not be introducing an Emergency Department co-payment.
After 16 years of Labor mismanagement Tasmania is facing serious problems across the whole health system, including increasing levels of demand at emergency departments.
However, we do not believe a co-payment in emergency departments is the solution.
It could in fact have the opposite effect and encourage patients to delay treatment, which would not only result in greater pain and suffering for the patient, but incur a greater cost to the health system when they return and require more complex, expensive treatments.
The recent COAG report on healthcare shows that under Labor and the Greens Tasmania’s performance in emergency departments last year was already ‘particularly unsatisfactory’, while the Commission on Delivery of Health Services noted one in three Tasmanians who present to the Emergency Department are there for more than eight hours.
This happened under Labor’s watch. They failed to show leadership and they failed our health system.
The Liberal Government will do better. We are already working with clinicians, health staff and the community to deliver a system Tasmanians can be proud of.
We have now held discussions with more than 500 staff across Tasmania’s health system, including hospital staff, senior health department leaders and the Australian Nursing and Midwifery Federation.
We will build a health system that is safe, efficient and effective and providing better quality emergency care will be a key part of the system.
Michael Ferguson, Minister for Health
