[Greens-Media] Tas Greens_Launceston General Hospital Woes Symptomatic of Struggling System_C O' Connor MP

[greens at parliament.tas.gov.au]

LAUNCESTON GENERAL HOSPITAL WOES SYMPTOMATIC OF SYSTEM UNDER HUGE STRAIN
 
Government Accused of Making Tasmanians Vulnerable

Cassy O'Connor MP
Greens Shadow Health Spokesperson

Monday, 25 August 2008
Contact: State Parliamentary Offices of the Tasmanian Greens, (03) 6233
8300

www.tas.greens.org.au


The Tasmanian Greens today called on the Health Minister to urgently
address what has been described by the Australian Medical Association as
'gross understaffing' at Launceston General Hospital.

Greens Shadow Health spokesperson Cassy O'Connor MP said the Minister
must take extremely seriously the A.M.A.'s reported belief that the LGH
problems are "just the tip of the iceberg" and Tasmanians were being
made "vulnerable" by a failure of government policy to address a suite
of problems facing the health sector.

"There are obviously major cracks in the system if a Department of
Emergency Medicine is being run by three or four overstretched
registrars, and staff are leaving citing a lack of training and
supervision," Ms O'Connor said.

"The Greens appreciate that there's a shortage of doctors
Australia-wide, but we also believe medical professionals will come to
Tasmania if the right incentives are in place."  

"Doctors aren't going to come here if they believe the pay is sub-par,
that they'll be massively over-stretched in hospitals that are
chronically understaffed."

"Whatever the government is doing to try to retain current staff, or to
attract more qualified medical staff and a quality pool of interns,
isn't working."

"It is surely time for a more effective strategy to be developed to
ensure Tasmanians aren't made vulnerable in their own public hospitals,
and in their communities due to medical staff shortages," Ms O'Connor
said.



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