Call for health plan
THE Government must better plan for rising demand in the health system instead of just topping up budget shortfalls every year, the Opposition says.
Actual health department spending exceeded the budget allocation by $163 million, or 9 per cent, last financial year and by $109 million, more than 6 per cent, in 2017-18, annual reports show.
THE Government must better plan for rising demand in the health system instead of just topping up budget shortfalls every year, the Opposition says.
Actual health department spending exceeded the budget allocation by $163 million, or 9 per cent, last financial year and by $109 million, more than 6 per cent, in 2017-18, annual reports show.
The budget for health in the current financial year is $1.92 billion, which is less than the actual spend of $1.97 billion in 2018-19.
In the forward estimates in this year’s budget, the Government projected it would spend more than $2.1 billion on health in 2022-23.
Labor’s health spokeswoman Sarah Lovell said the Hodgman Government had underfunded the health system for half a decade.
“Artificially suppressing the health budget every year might make the budget bottom line look better but it means that our hospitals are forever running in a climate of austerity which is not good for staff morale or providing care to patients,’’ she said.
“We know that lives have been put at risk as a result of the Liberals failing to fund actual health demand.
“The Liberals should be planning for actual health demand rather than constantly having to shovel more money into the system when it inevitably runs out.”
Health Minister Sarah Courtney said the Government was delivering more than $8 billion for Tasmania’s health system over the current budget and forward estimates.
“Health spending as a percentage of the entire state budget is now 32 per cent, up from around 25 per cent a decade ago,’’ she said.
“This year alone, the full year health budget is more than $100 million more than it was last year.
“We are investing unprecedented funding, reflecting the Government’s strong commitment to delivering record levels of health services, and we are determined to ensure that Tasmanians are seeing the benefits of this investment.”
Ms Courtney said since March 2014, the Government has recruited 1150 additional full-time equivalent staff for the state’s health system.