Status quo COVID-19 border measures if CLP takes the reigns, as party promises to bring back heart program

A HEALTH program quietly scrapped by the current NT Government would be restored under the Country Liberal Party, leader Lia Finocchiaro has promised

THE cardiothoracic surgery program quietly scrapped by the current NT Government would be restored under the Country Liberal Party, leader Lia Finocchiaro has promised.

The commitment to revive the program, which was promised by the former CLP government, is the party’s main point of difference in its newly released health policy.

Ms Finocchiaro, who has tried in recent days to distance herself from politicising COVID-19, revealed that if elected on August 22 she would keep NT Labor’s coronavirus response strategy.

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Echoing words similar to Chief Minister Michael Gunner, Ms Finocchiaro said she would “always take the best health advice” and “ensure that the safety of Territorians is put first”.

Under a government led by her, the “agile” system of declaring certain areas hot spots to deter travel as and when the Chief Health Officer advises it to be so will remain, while also keeping other border measures already in place.

The cardiothoracic program, meant to be based at Royal Darwin Hospital, was quietly scrapped by the NT Government after the department had already purchased $1.2 million worth of equipment.

The Health Department at the time explained that as the commissioning activities progressed, it became clear the surgery program would require considerable infrastructure changes at the hospital, which would place “undue stress” on existing operating theatres and critical care wards.

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Other health commitments the CLP has made include expanding telehealth services to increase access to specialist care, noting a surge in uptake by patients since coronavirus hit.

The CLP would also reinvest in preventive programs like Strong Women, Strong Babies and Strong Culture and lobby for the addition of meningococcal B immunisation to the federal Pharmaceutical Benefit Scheme to make it cheaper and more accessible.