Room for cuts in health, says Treasurer Peter Gutwein

The Government says there is room for cuts in the health budget — the opposition parties beg to differ.

OPPOSITION parties have reacted with alarm to suggestions that the health system could absorb funding cuts.

Treasurer Peter Gutwein this morning told reporters that there was room for increased efficiency in health.

The State Government is trying to trim $450 million from expenditure across the forward estimates. Mr Gutwein said the health portfolio was not exempt.

“I believe that health can become more efficient, and it should always be government’s aim to become more efficient.

RHH HAS ‘POTENTIALLY CATASTROPHIC’ OVERLOAD

“What we will continue to do is to employ more doctors, more nurses, more teachers, more support staff in schools.

“But it’s important and incumbent upon government that we are as efficient as possible and the efficiency dividend that we have introduced is one measure and a way of doing that.”

New Health Minister Sarah Courtney is expected to be the focus of attention in Question time on Tuesday as state parliament resumes after the winter break.

Labor leader Rebecca White said the health system had been chronically underfunded by the Liberal Government.

FEARS AS EMERGENCY GRIDLOCK HITS RHH

“The Tasmanian health system can’t afford to have more cuts imposed upon it,” she said

“We’ve got ambulances ramping up our hospitals for hours on end, patients who’ve had their elective surgeries cancelled and patients waiting far too long in the Emergency Department to get the health care that they deserve.

Labor leader Rebecca White speaks to the media.

“If the Minister for Health Sarah Courtney is now going to proceed with cuts to the health budget that’s going to have dire consequences and potentially cost lives.

RHH’S INTENSIVE CHAIR UNIT

“The Treasurer thinking that they can apply efficiencies when it comes to people and the health care that they need is completely out of touch.”

Greens health spokeswoman Rosalie Woodruff said the idea of health cuts was hard to imagine.

“There’s clearly no room for any cuts in health. It would be a disaster for the services at the Royal Hobart Hospital and the Launceston General Hospital in particular to have any cuts from those hospitals.

“There is no doubt the hospitals in Tasmania have been serially underfunded by the Hodgman Liberal Government for the past five years. Now of all times is it time to put more resources into health not take them out.”