Page 2829 - Week 10 - Wednesday, 6 October 2021
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Today’s budget is the first where the wellbeing principles are embedded in budget decision-making.
Record health investment
In a global pandemic the strength of a jurisdiction’s health response directly contributes to its economic resilience.
The speed and the breadth of the territory’s vaccination rollout, the willingness of our community to get vaccinated, our ability to quickly stand up the most efficient bar none mass vaccination hubs in the nation, and our extraordinarily efficient 100 per cent utilisation rate of vaccine doses available to us, mean that the only factor limiting our 95 per cent first-dose coverage has been vaccine supply delays. But now that we have the vaccines, we are delivering an incredibly efficient program that is streets ahead of any other state or territory.
But our health system’s strengths go beyond vaccination.
At its core, our health system is made up of the doctors, nurses, allied health professionals and support staff who have been there when we have needed them most.
This budget delivers record investments in the territory’s health system, with over half a billion dollars in new funding to provide better health care where and when Canberrans need it.
Alongside the nation-leading vaccination rollout, we continue to invest in COVID-19 health initiatives such as the Health Emergency Control Centre, quarantine facilities, compliance activities, hospital and testing services, additional cleaning of public schools and public transport and, of course, the pandemic response and public information teams that have been keeping Canberrans informed throughout the pandemic.
The budget also modernises our Ambulance Service, provides support to our hardworking paramedics, and keeps our community safe by hiring more personnel, upgrading ICT systems, and purchasing five new low-emissions vehicles for the fleet.
In this budget we fund the hiring of 90 more nurses and midwives as the first stage of a phased introduction of minimum nurse-to-patient ratios at Canberra and Calvary public hospitals.
This $50 million investment means we will have more nurses on wards helping those who need them most.
And we are expanding the Canberra Hospital’s intensive care unit and emergency department; establishing an innovative cancer research centre; increasing endoscopy services; delivering more elective surgeries; and planning for a new surgery centre at the University of Canberra.
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