Proven solution can help Tas healthcare crisis

Our health system is in crisis. It’s a phrase that’s starting to sound like a broken record.

30 years ago my mum was on an elective surgery waitlist. She was 51 and needed two new knees and two new hips. My mum died before she could get the help she needed. That was thirty years ago and it doesn’t seem to be getting any better.

I don’t want anyone else having to go through what I did.

There’s currently around 8,000 people on the waitlist for elective surgeries in Tasmania. Some patients are waiting twice as long as they should be. Category three patients who should be seen within a year are waiting up to two years to get the help they need.

Imagine being in pain and knowing help might be a year away. It can affect your ability to work, your ability to spend time with friends and family. It weighs heavily on your mental wellbeing.

During covid-19, the Tasmanian Government gave money to private hospitals to take on some of the elective surgery backlog. It didn’t cost the patient anything, it was just like if they’d had it done in a public hospital. It just used the private hospital resources.

And credit where credit’s due, this was a huge help and made a real difference. So why can’t we do it again?

Right now private hospitals, especially not-for-profit ones, are losing money and becoming unsustainable. While we have ballooning wait times, private health services have told me they have empty elective surgery and psychology beds.

When you’re in a crisis, you use every tool at your disposal. People shouldn’t be waiting around having their conditions get worse when we know there are beds and health services waiting to be used.

Just like during covid, using private hospitals for public purposes shouldn’t come at any extra cost to the patient. And the arrangement should only be temporary - enough to get the backlog under control and make sure people are seen in the recommended time frames.

It’s not the role of the government to permanently subsidise private hospitals when our public systems need so much more investment. If we continue to need private hospitals to fill the gap and they’re at risk of closing because they’re unsustainable, there should be a conversation about how we can keep these services but have them consistently contribute to the public health system.

The Tasmanian state Government needs to be pulling every lever it can to get the health system back on track. If there are empty beds sitting there and doctors not being used, it’s a no brainer to make sure people are getting access to healthcare when they need it.

Originally published in the New Norfolk News in October 2024.

What else is news?

Everything Tam's been saying in front of journalists and their microphones.

Media Releases 6 Feb 2025

Mandatory minimums: Do they really work?

Read more
Media Releases 19 Dec 2024

Is the Tasmanian freight equalisation scheme set to fail Tassie businesses?

Read more
Media Releases 13 Dec 2024

A $240m exemption for Macquarie Point - what's it mean for you?

Read more