Page 4469 - Week 12 - Tuesday, 30 October 2018
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Mrs Jones interjecting—
MADAM SPEAKER: Mrs Jones, welcome back, but, please, Mr Wall is on his feet.
ACT Health—non-ACT patients
MR WALL: My question is also to the Minister for Health and Wellbeing. Minister, I refer to a series of cost-cutting measures attached to a briefing on elective surgery that you noted on 31 August. One of the cost-cutting measures was to remove patients from the waitlist who were not geographically associated with the ACT. Minister, what is the status of this proposal?
MS FITZHARRIS: I largely refer Mr Wall to my previous answer but I can, of course, confirm that ACT Health, and certainly Canberra Health Services, are major providers of health services to the population of the south-east region of New South Wales. That is considered to be quite different from the broader New South Wales population. I would like to give some certainty to those patients of doctors in Canberra Health Services who are in the south-east region of New South Wales that they do, and will continue to, receive services from Canberra Hospital, if that is what their clinical advice is.
MR WALL: Minister, what consultations has ACT Health or your office had with the New South Wales government or ministerial representatives about this proposal and what has their response been?
MS FITZHARRIS: I refer Mr Wall to my previous answers about the status of this brief and the extremely early stages at which these issues were raised.
MS CHEYNE: Minister, are you confident that the CEO is adequately considering elective surgery wait times?
MS FITZHARRIS: Yes, I absolutely am.
Mrs Dunne: Madam Speaker, a point of order. The question was clearly asking the minister to express an opinion. She opened with, “Are you satisfied?”
MADAM SPEAKER: I must admit that I was not listening to the question. I was distracted by another member on my left. Can you repeat your question, please, Ms Cheyne?
MS CHEYNE: No, I am good, thank you.
MADAM SPEAKER: You do not want to repeat it? Can you give me the question? I did not hear it.
MS CHEYNE: Minister, are you confident—not “satisfied”—that the CEO is adequately considering elective surgery wait times?
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