Labor says public waiting lists in Tasmania could reach 100,000 by the end of the year, with around one in six Tasmanians already waiting for medical treatment.
Shadow health minister Sarah Lovell said government data showed more than 97,000 Tasmanians were on outpatient, elective surgery and oral health waiting lists, up around 10% in a year.
“This number just continues to grow,” she said.
Labor said the government’s elective surgery target was for 70% of patients to be seen within clinically recommended timeframes.
Only 56% were seen on time in August. Labor said the target had been lowered since the cuts were announced.
Lovell said it was “hard to imagine the list won’t reach 100,000 by the end of the year” and described the health system as “already at breaking point”.
She said increases in demand were projected every year and were “no surprise”, but the government had no plan to keep people well and off waiting lists.
“There’s an increase in demand that the government is matching with a reduction in funding of $700 million,” she said.
“There is no way this will see any outcome other than things getting worse.”
Health Minister Bridget Archer said the rise was predominantly the result of increased demand, along with problems moving patients through hospitals. She also pointed to a late flu and respiratory season.
The minister said record numbers of elective surgeries and outpatient appointments had been carried out.
Archer said the health service saw around 49,000 outpatients a month, but there were about 41,000 outpatient non-attendances in 2024-25.
“We do need Tasmanians to understand that if they can’t make their appointment for some reason, they should let the service know so that those appointments become available for other Tasmanians as well,” she said.
Archer said long-stay older patients were a growing issue, with numbers doubling in recent years.
“Up to 100 patients a day who are medically fit to be discharged from our hospitals are still stranded in hospitals.”
The minister said the state was putting interim measures in place, including level three of the Launceston Health Hub and the purchase of the Rosary Gardens aged care site in Hobart.
