Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . .

Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 2004 Week 06 Hansard (Tuesday, 22 June 2004) . . Page.. 2326 ..

How many times will the hospital go on bypass this winter? Mr Speaker, we’ve been lucky so far. We’ve not had a situation where both Calvary and the Canberra Hospital have been on bypass at the same time. However, given the conditions that we are heading into, it is surely a possibility.

What would happen, Mr Speaker, if both hospitals were on bypass at the same time? Perhaps the minister can address that in his speech on this MPI, but I think the fact that we’ve already had patients left not just on hospital gurneys in corridors and in storerooms but in ambulances is an indication that that’s where the patients may well end up. Given this minister’s lackadaisical attitude to bypass, perhaps he’s not concerned about that possibility. If bypass is as benign as he suggested, then surely it’s not a problem if both hospitals were on bypass. Of course he won’t say that, Mr Speaker. He won’t say that because it would be a disaster if both hospitals were on bypass at the same time. Where would the patients go? Queanbeyan? Goulburn? Cooma perhaps? Or do we continue to send them to Sydney as we occasionally do?

Both hospitals on bypass would be a disaster. One hospital on bypass is a serious issue. To put it in perspective, Mr Speaker, if just one Sydney hospital goes on bypass it’s front-page news; it’s splattered all over the place. In Canberra, if one or two of our hospitals go on bypass, apparently it’s just a busy day, according to the minister.

Mr Speaker, the problems in our public hospital system run deep. The emergency departments are not coping. I think we need to praise the staff; they deserve all the praise that we can give them. It’s not a problem that they’re creating; it’s a problem that this government is creating in the hospital system that we now have. Not only do we have hospitals on bypass; we now have patients routinely waiting on trolleys in corridors and elective surgery cancelled under this government.

Mr Speaker, reading between the lines: I would suggest that it has happened at least twice in recent times that we probably have had both hospitals on bypass because we’ve had patients having to wait outside in ambulances—and I’m happy for the minister to correct me on that—but if there was room and both hospitals weren’t on bypass, why were the patients waiting in ambulances?

It’s not just the emergency department, Mr Speaker. Elective surgery is completely out of control. In May, a month that is traditionally a good one for elective surgery, the waiting list still went up by another 29 patients. We’ve got nurses leaving in droves, and the government has dubious plans for rehabilitation services if it goes ahead and closes RILU.

I just want to address some more information about the waiting lists in May. Mr Speaker, what the minister didn’t tell the public in his press release is that the number of patients treated in May this year, 746—that number is in the press release, but he doesn’t go on to say—was the lowest result for the month of May in five years. For all their reforms, for all their money that they’ve put into it, for all the banter about how good things are, the month of May this year was the lowest result for the month of May in five years. The average for May over that period is 800 patients treated. The best that this minister could achieve was 746.

Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . .