The Hodgman Liberal Government is fixing the broken health system so that Tasmanians can have access to the best quality health care.
Under the One State, One Health System, Better Outcomes reforms we are changing the way our health system operates so we can get better results for Tasmanians.
Our plan to turn the Mersey into a dedicated elective surgery facility will free up beds in the other hospitals and will further reduce the number of cancellations.
Already we have spent about $5 million of funding we negotiated with the Federal Government to provide 1,700 extra elective procedures.
A further $24.8 million of Commonwealth funding will provide surgery and endoscopies for those patients who have waited the longest.
The panel announced today will allow us to deliver our vision of a strong and resilient health system for Tasmania.
The five elective surgery suppliers are:
• Calvary Health Care Tasmania
• Hobart Day Surgery Pty Ltd
• Health Care Burnie Pty Ltd
• Epworth Health Care, Melbourne
• Health Scope Operations Pty Ltd, including Hobart Private Hospital and Melbourne-based facilities.
The panel represents a broad range of surgical expertise and provides a mix of both Tasmanian and Victorian providers.
We are also providing funding to cover the cost of travel, including transport and accommodation. This is an initiative that is all about patients, and supporting them to access timely care is part of our commitment.
This initiative complements our $76 million state investment in elective surgery, which has already treated hundreds of Tasmanians, including long-waiting children and some of the state’s very longest adult waiting patients.
The panel arrangement will allows us to use short-term funds to treat those patients who have waited for years, in addition to the additional public sector volumes we are providing through our $76 million investment.
The Hodgman Liberal Government will continue the clinical redesign, with the aim to significantly improve access to elective surgery, so that waiting lists can be reduced in the long term.
Rene Hidding, Acting Health Minister
