Bad news must not be hidden

AUSTRALIAN evidence has shown that in the days following emergency department (overcrowding, there are excess hospital deaths, this has been estimated at about 1000 patients per year — about the same as the road toll, and there are a larger number of patients whose healing is delayed by this congestion. This is because when emergency management is over, and the crisis is past, patients need a different kind of care, in wards, not readily available from the ED staff who need to focus on the arriving cases. Over the past five years, ED overcrowding has escalated to a new level. So it seems that Dr Nicklason, the chief of medical staff, is so concerned that he and his team wish to prepare an audit, together with his colleagues, to see how serious the situation is and present it to the Tasmanian people, so they are aware of the extent of care wanting, and deaths resulting if any. It is the honest first step in seeking to improve service; identify and quantify the problem. The Health Department appears to have gone into panic mode, fearing an expose that would reflect on management, funding and organisation. They want to prevent a clinical staff-initiated audit, and do it themselves, with perhaps a methodology more suited to a less damaging or even favourable result. Perhaps even suppressing an unfavourable outcome? This smacks of the British wartime propaganda “Ministry of information”, telling the public only the good news.

Bryan Walpole Sandy Bay Private patience

PAUL Bartulovic (Letters July 21) wants privately-insured patients using the servi- ces of the Royal Hobart Hospital to allow the hospital full access to their private health fund. I would not encourage this at all, for two reasons. Firstly, privately-insured patients also pay the Medicare levy and are fully entitled to use the public health system. Secondly, by allowing the public system to charge your health fund you are actually encouraging premium rises in health insurance. When that happens, more people give up their private health cover, adding further stress to the public system.

Privately-insured patients can often not get the care they insure for in the private sector as these hospitals are often on bypass. It is well known that due to the public sector being under such stress that patients awaiting treatment in the public system are referred to the private sector — and this is paid for by us all.

Leanne Adams Blackmans Bay Need for investment

DENIS Trayling (Letters, July 21) uses national hospital bed availability census statistics for 1960 and 2010 showing the reduction from 11.2 to 3.77 during this period. He states that the current Tasmanian average is 2.5 and that inaction by all governments have contributed to the situation, including now Minister Ferguson’s vision being at odds with his budgetary actions. Helen Burnet (Letters July 21) also writes “that the health system is stretched and is falling short in meeting the needs of the Tasmanian community”. While medical advances over the decades have reduced the need for hospitalisation and, resulted in shorter stays what is apparent is the lack of investment in infrastructure. While the health portfolio has been a poisoned chalice for successive governments Mr Ferguson’s constraints are his parliamentary cohort’s priorities. Their vision for the state is an obsessive investment in chasing the tourism dollar. This government needs to realise that expenditure on infrastructure is an investment in the future.

Lee-Anne Spinks Bellerive Pain relief

I WAS assessed by a pain specialist for severe chronic pain related to a spinal cord injury in July 2014. I was placed on a regimen of Palexia (Tapentadol) 200 mg twice daily and eight Panadeine Forte tablets daily. My new GP in Launceston continued this regimen until June 21, 2017, at which time he informed me that he could no longer prescribe Panadeine Forte in conjunction with Tapentadol.

My understanding is that this was on account of a generalised crackdown on codeine-based pain killers in response to their illegal use in the manufacture of recreational narcotics. While I appreciate that governments are obliged to tackle criminal activity of this kind, I maintain that my need is purely medical and entirely justified according to a pain management specialist and two GPs.

Having committed no offence, and with a well-established need, I am nonetheless forced to resort to an inferior product at more than three times the price. I received no advanced warning of the change, and have been obliged simply to lump it.

Justin Harding Invermay