Action pledge on health
HEALTH Minister Sarah Courtney says she will take immediate action to address the concerns of junior doctors at the Royal Hobart Hospital.
Ms Courtney yesterday received a letter on behalf of 147 junior doctors from the hospital complaining of poor internal morale and concerns of a staff exodus.
She said she respected the commitment the staff at the hospital had for their patients and was keen to help address their concerns.
“I think it’s great that in Tasmania we have got people that feel so strongly about our health system,” she said.
“We know that delivery of health services across Tasmania is very important and so as a minister I’ve worked hard over the past four months, engaging with clinicians around the state.
“I want to see all our doctors in our hospitals and all clinicians feeling well supported.
“That’s why we are embarking on a range of cultural improvement programs. That’s why as a Government we have continued to invest.”
Ms Courtney said that the Government was working hard to address the problems in health.
“Since coming into Government we have employed over 100 more doctors at that facility,” she said.
“I’ve been very upfront with the people of Tasmania that we have challenges within the health system with increasing demand and I understand that increasing demand puts pressure on our clinicians.
“This is why we are doing things such as the 44 new fullyfunded beds at the Royal, it’s why we’re delivering access solutions, it is why we’re looking at secondary triage for ambulances and community rapid response, because we know that there is not one single silver bullet that will address the increased demand and increased complexity.
“By looking at a range and suite of options and actioning them in a meaningful way we will be able to get the outcomes.”
Labor health spokeswoman Sarah Lovell said: “The Government needs to reverse the cuts – they cannot continue to cut from the health budget and expect people to continue to do more with less.
“But first and foremost, she [Ms Courtney] needs to deliver.” She said Ms Courtney needed to deliver her vision for the health system and her plan to address the many needs both now and into the future.