Page 1508 - Week 06 - Wednesday, 6 June 2007
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well supported in their workplace. I will say that again: Canberrans expect, when they get ill, to be looked after by staff who are well supported in their workplace.
I do not believe that the simple approach to pouring funds into the system will improve performance. In five years, the Stanhope government has allowed the system to fall behind in key performance areas. It is not me saying this; this is fully supported by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, which offers high-level, high-quality analysis and findings, some of which reflect poorly on ACT hospital performance.
Many comments have made by people in reaction to the budget. For example, there are comments in the Canberra Times today, Wednesday, 6 June. The Australian Medical Association president, Dr Andrew Foot, whilst noting that it was a positive budget in terms of targeting “a broad spectrum of health needs including acute and chronic health issues”, states:
Further work needs to be done to improve time to treatment in accident and emergency; shorter waiting times for elective surgery; more funding for the surge of medical students and extra junior resident officer places.
Let me look at the ACT’s shocking record on elective surgery. If we take this year’s budgetary injection of $10.5 million to combat the waiting list as an example, it becomes all too apparent that this funding boost was desperately needed. But why? Just to keep in touch with the current demand for elective surgery in the ACT public hospital system. The astounding figure of 9,620 removals from the elective surgery waiting list in 2007-08 is a clear indication of how perilous the situation has become.
Ms Gallagher: Come on.
MRS BURKE: Isn’t it? You bragged about taking 9,000 people off the list—
Ms Gallagher: Perilous?
MRS BURKE: Clearly you are not waiting for an operation, minister. It has become a perilous situation to people out there. It seems certain that if this funding were forthcoming now, for a four-year period, a compounding effect would have ensued whereby more and more patients would have wallowed on the waiting lists. This is an indication of desperation. No doubt the Stanhope government would have to be seen as acting promptly, particularly given that it is now taking steps to open a 10th operating theatre at the Canberra Hospital for five days a week just to cope with the additional strain placed on the system.
I am deeply troubled by the fact that the ACT has a 61-day median waiting time for elective surgery. Minister, wasn’t it 45 days last year? You can correct me if I am wrong.
Ms Gallagher: Yes, and I have explained it.
MRS BURKE: Why should Canberrans, for example, have to put up with a median waiting time of 631 days for myringoplasty, involving surgical reconstruction of a
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