Doctors decry Tasmania's hospital system at “emergency” meeting

Tasmanian health workers have held an emergency meeting, stating successive Tasmanian governments have ignored cries for reform from doctors and healthcare workers in crisis.

Doctors decried the state of Tasmania’s healthcare system at an “emergency” meeting on Tuesday night.

The meeting was run by the Australian Medical Association, which gave a scathing critique on the major parties’ handling of the hospital system.

The Liberal and Labor parties did not send a delegate to the town hall meeting.

Minor parties did make a showing, including Greens’ Dr Darren Briggs, Local Party’s Anna Bateman, and independent Clark MP Andrew Wilkie.

Ambulance parked on Campbell Street. Ambulances who deliver patients to the Royal Hobart Hospital now have less space in the ambulance bay due to tents erected for future Covid patients. Picture: Nikki Davis-Jones

AMA Tasmania’s new president John Saul, a Lauderdale GP, said successive governments had ignored the cries for reform from doctors and healthcare workers.

“I’m just getting plain angry that we’re not getting any traction, we’re not getting any meaningful responses from the major parties,” Dr Saul said.

“We are blocked up to the back door. We have a log jam at every process along the trail and unfortunately it’s been a lack of support over many years that has led us to this crisis.”

One of the AMA’s biggest unmet demands is for the Federal Government to pick up more slack with a 50/50 funding arrangement with the state governments.

Launceston GP Donald Rose said he was frustrated by the poor level of investment in communication technology, which he said was causing problems throughout the system.

Emily Shepherd, ANMF branch secretary, reacting to the announcement of Nurses react to mandatory Covid-19 vaccination for Nurses and Midwives in Tasmania. Picture: Mireille Merlet

“Poor communication between providers causes enormous duplication, waste and poor clinical outcomes. Many patients have suffered because of poor clinical handover,” he said.

“The Tasmanian health system needs to invest in IT so that the silos can at least talk to each other.”

Nurses and Midwives Association state secretary Emily Shepherd one of the biggest headaches was the difficulty recruiting and retaining workers in Tasmania.

Budget Reactions

Health and Community Services Union secretary Tim Jacobson said he’d seen many promises made by successive governments that never ended up eventuating.

Mr Jacobson said he’d seen many promises postponed and recycled again and again, with some being quietly dropped years after the initial announcement.

“We’ve seen consistently over the last two or three years the same announcement around infrastructure funding I don’t know how many times,” Mr Jacobson said.

“What we’ve seen from Federal Governments is a letting go of the rope and more reliance on the state on what is in fact a 50/50 responsibility.”

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