The Greens say a commission of inquiry into Tasmania’s health system should consider a new Royal Hobart Hospital, as the state’s population grows older and sicker.
Greens leader Rosalie Woodruff said her party supported a commission of inquiry, saying the health system had not been functioning “under this Liberal government over the last nearly 12 years”.
“Something has to be done to have an overarching look at it, including whether and when we should start work on a new Royal Hobart Hospital,” she said.
“Given our ageing population and our sicker population, we desperately need to have an overarching look at all the parts of the system and why they’re not functioning.”
Australian Medical Association (AMA) Tasmania first proposed an inquiry last month. Labor, the Health and Community Services Union and the Australian Nursing and Midwifery Federation have since backed the call.
At the AMA’s announcement, Royal Hobart Hospital acting emergency department director Byron Booth said Tasmania would need a new greenfield hospital “at some point”.
The Greens took a commitment to spend $55 million on planning for a new Hobart hospital to last year’s state election.
Woodruff said the government had refused to implement the recommendations of the ambulance ramping inquiry and other independent investigations into parts of the health system.
“At the same time as ambulances aren’t arriving, people are dying as a result of inadequate services,” she said.
“This is a terrible situation.”
Two Tasmanian men died in October after delays in getting an ambulance, including a man in Zeehan who waited 78 minutes for a crew from Burnie.
Woodruff also accused the government of “pretending” its health cuts would not have any effect.
The state budget sets out about $702 million in savings for the health department over four years. The government says overall health spending is budgeted to rise.
Woodruff said the federal government needed to be involved in the inquiry, given it provides roughly half the funding for the hospital system and has responsibility for aged care.
“Clearly the federal government needs to be involved,” she said.
AMA Tasmania wants an inquiry that covers the services the state funds and controls, rather than federally funded general practice and aged care.
Woodruff said the Greens did not have a strong view on who should pay for the inquiry, but said an estimated $15 million had been spent on an inquiry in New South Wales.
“It’s a small investment to make into the future of Tasmanians’ health,” she said.
Health Minister Bridget Archer ruled out a commission of inquiry in parliament last month, saying it could cost more than $30 million and would duplicate past reviews and an ongoing Legislative Council inquiry.
In a statement this week, Archer said patients waiting in hospital for aged care placements were the biggest issue and that the federal government needed to act.
“We don’t need to spend $30 million on a COI to tell us what the solution is, we need immediate action to increase aged care beds from the federal government,” she said.
