Tasmanians are waiting longer than ever for elective surgeries, with wait times reaching a record high, new data has revealed.
Around 8,500 Tasmanians are currently waiting for elective surgery, with average wait times sitting at 200 days.
Shadow Health Minister Ella Haddad said the state’s health system is in crisis and that the figures show that urgent category one patients, who should be seen within 30 days, are also facing increasing delays.
“What that shows us is that now is not the time for cuts to staff or services across the health system,” Haddad said.
“Yet we’ve got a Health Minister, a Premier and a Treasurer intent on sweeping job cuts across the Tasmanian health service that will ultimately mean things get harder for the workforce who are still there trying to do more with less in an already stretched work environment.”
Haddad said the cuts will also lead to worse patient outcomes as they continue to wait longer than they should for health services.
“The government needs to abandon their plans for vacancy control,” she said.
“We all know what vacancy control means. It means job cuts and we’re already seeing the effects of those job cuts day on day.”
Health Minister Guy Barnett said the government is investing heavily in the health system, including the recruitment of more staff.
He said a “record” 21,627 elective surgeries were performed in the state in the year to May.
“We have invested significantly in elective surgeries in recent years and these positive results confirm our investment is working, with more Tasmanians able to have a better quality of life as a result,” he said.
“We know there is record demand and we continue to pull out all the stops to ensure we are providing the right care, at the right place, at the right time.”
