Page 2688 - Week 07 - Wednesday, 6 June 2012
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numbers of people waiting for surgery as opposed to the median wait time which is the measure of people who have had their surgery, as a proportion of Canberrans is lower than it was in 2001. So that means fewer Canberrans are waiting for their surgery than they were under the previous government. But do not let those numbers get in the way of a good argument!
We have seen a significant reduction in the number of patients waiting for surgery. We have seen a significant reduction in the number of patients waiting longer than the recommended times. And we do this against the background of no consistency in waiting list management data across the country. We know that in some jurisdictions they do not add particular surgical specialties to their waiting list. We know that in New South Wales they treat their category 3 patients quite differently and a number of them are getting access to surgery within five days. We do all of those things against the backdrop that there is no consistency; you cannot measure apples with apples. Indeed, every health minister in the country acknowledges that is the case.
We have built up new services in the emergency department, across the hospital, in the community setting. We are offering more services than ever before. We are building a cancer service here for the region, to reduce the number of patients who need to travel interstate for care. We have got services being offered here and we have seen incredible increases in the numbers of doctors and nurses employed and providing those services here, and that is because we have placed it as a priority.
Running a health system is not without issues. Health ministers do not tend to last very long. Ask any health minister around the country. Many of them relish the opportunity of leaving the portfolio, because of the nature of the portfolio and the challenges that are there. But I, as a Canberran and as someone who is incredibly committed—
Mr Hanson interjecting—
MADAM DEPUTY SPEAKER: Mr Hanson!
MS GALLAGHER: to the health system here and to building a health system that is here for my children and their children, am determined to see through a number of the reforms that I have started. Yes, there will be people who do not like that; the president of the VMOA, who as far as I know is the only doctor that has called for my resignation, is one of those people. I do not think it is any secret to anyone in this place that Dr Hughes does not like me. What a shock. I know the Liberal Party will use that more broadly for their personal vicious attacks on me, and that is fine.
But let us put this in the context of the shortage of general practitioners being levelled at my feet. It is interesting—and, again, do not let figures get in the way of a good argument—that the number of GPs per population has remained stable over the last 10 years. I think it is exactly the same as it was when the Liberals were in power. We are seeing positive improvements there, and with the graduates out of the medical school flowing through into the system there will be continued progress.
Mr Hanson: Set up by Tony Abbott—hear, hear!
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