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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 2000 Week 6 Hansard (23 May) . . Page.. 1571 ..

MR CORBELL: My question is to the Minister for Health and Community Care. Minister, the Department of Health and Community Care's performance report for the March 1999-2000 quarter reveals that, in the third quarter of 1999-2000, 35 per cent of public hospital patients were waiting longer than clinically desirable for treatment. Can the minister explain why over a third of the ACT's public hospital patients must wait longer than clinically desirable to receive treatment, and how long exactly is "longer than clinically desirable" in most cases?

MR MOORE: Thank you for the question, Mr Corbell. I am delighted the question is about waiting times, not so much about waiting lists. Waiting times are divided into four categories.

Mr Berry: Waiting lists are important too, Michael.

MR MOORE: Emergencies are done immediately. Then we have category 1 cases, for which the clinically required time as designated by a specialist is within 30 days. For category 2 it is 30 to 90 days, and for category 3 it is 90 days to a year. Both hospitals have performed quite well, as you will note from the figures in category 1 for the quarter. Over 90 per cent of category 1 people are dealt with within the clinically required time. Our performance goal for category 1 is 97 per cent. We are not quite there, but we are pretty close. The greatest challenge is in category 2.

Mr Berry: Only 90 per cent for category 1!

MR MOORE: Mr Berry continues to interrupt. He started his interruptions by saying that waiting lists are much more important than waiting times. We might remember what happened under Mr Berry as health minister.

Mr Corbell: Why are over a third of patients waiting longer than clinically desirable? Answer the question, Mr Moore.

MR SPEAKER: Mr Corbell, I warn you.

MR MOORE: What happened under Mr Berry as health minister was that-

Mr Berry: I take a point of order, Mr Speaker. I do not mind if Mr Moore answers Mr Corbell's question in any way he chooses, but if he wants to attack me he should stick to the facts and not try to mislead this place.

MR SPEAKER: And I would suggest that you all stop interjecting.

MR MOORE: Under Mr Berry as health minister waiting lists were continually growing and growing, so I am surprised that he should raise-

Mr Corbell: I take a point of order, Mr Speaker, on the ground of relevance. My question specifically related to the 35 per cent of all patients waiting longer than clinically desirable. Mr Moore has not yet answered the question.

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