Page 2419 - Week 06 - Thursday, 24 June 2010

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MR SPEAKER: I do not believe so.

Mr Hargreaves: Well then, I seek your guidance to have it checked. The minister is being accused of fraudulently doing something, and I think that’s objectionable.

MR SPEAKER: I do not believe the minister was accused of that, Mr Hargreaves. The Minister for Health.

MS GALLAGHER: No.

MR SPEAKER: Mrs Dunne, a supplementary question?

MRS DUNNE: Minister, was this process adopted to make elective surgery waiting lists for category 1 patients look better than they actually are?

MS GALLAGHER: No. It is a process of managing the lists and it is a practice that is—

Mr Smyth: Managing the list instead of the patients.

MS GALLAGHER: The patients are the list, Mr Smyth. It is a practice undertaken across the nation. Indeed, policies like this exist in most other states and territories.

Hospitals—waiting times

MR SMYTH: My question is to the Minister for Health. Minister, in the Assembly on Tuesday this week, you were asked by Mr Hanson:

Minister, would you consider it appropriate or in accordance with policy that ACT Health would be contacting doctors to ask that they downgrade their patients?

You answered:

It would not be in accordance with the policy …

Minister, do you stand by your statement?

MS GALLAGHER: Yes, I do. The surgical bookings area are contacting doctors around the management of their patients and providing them with several options. You will see that there is no request to downgrade patients without the clinical approval of—

Mr Seselja: Unless they want a date.

Mr Smyth: Unless you want a date. You don’t get surgery unless you downgrade.

MS GALLAGHER: That is not true.

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