Clark MP Andrew Wilkie has welcomed the Premier’s decision to appoint a new Health Minister

Independent MP Andrew Wilkie has welcomed the Premier’s decision to listen to the community and health professionals to appoint a new Health Minister.

CLARK MP Andrew Wilkie said he welcomed Premier Will Hodgman’s decision to listen to the community and health professionals and finally appoint a new Health Minister.

“It was clear that Michael Ferguson wasn’t up to the job and that the community had lost confidence in him,” Mr Wilkie said.

“That’s why I and many other members of the community, including health professionals, had been calling on the Premier for some time to appoint a new minister. It’s just unfortunate that it took so long.”

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Mr Wilkie said he was ready to work with new minister, Sarah Courtney, to “realise some of the solutions Tasmania’s broken health system desparately needs.”

“Hopefully this will be a fresh start for the health portflio, which is one of the most important areas for a government to get right,” he said.

“The first thing that the new minister should do is seek an urgent meeting with the Premier and the Treasurer and ask them to stop diverting our federal GST money earmarked for health away from the health budget.

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“I will continue to pursue this matter with the Federal Government. Indeed the federal Health Minister, Greg Hunt, got in touch with me today following my public call for federal involvement, and we have arranged to meet this coming sitting week to discuss the matter.”

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