Mr HENDERSON - 2000-06-14
The health minister acknowledged in the budget debate last year: ‘Growth in demand for hospital services continues at an average increase of 4% per annum.’ The AMA earlier estimated that an 8% annual increase was needed to provide the expected level of care and services. Due to CLP waste and mismanagement, Royal Darwin Hospital got a measly increase of only 1.1% in last month’s budget. This will not even keep pace with inflation, predicted to be 5.75% this year. Does this confirm that after years of CLP waste and mismanagement, funding for Royal Darwin Hospital is actually going backwards?
ANSWER
Mr Speaker, there will be an opportunity next week for the opposition member to interrogate the health budget in some depth. I hope this will be an educative exercise for him, because he has shown a great tendency to be a bit of an economic buffoon - I suppose is the best word I could use to describe him - in his discussions thus far about the budget.
The Northern Territory government has increased the budget to Royal Darwin Hospital again this year. It builds on the last decade or so of increases in this area. Those increases are driven by data that is well understood and is able to fit into the lexicon of Treasury so that we understand what is driving the costs. We have been able to re-engineer how we deliver some of our services, finding efficiencies within the operation of Royal Darwin Hospital.
But it should be said that the population is increasing. Our levels of acuity are increasing. Our levels of specialisation at the hospital - a good-news story - are increasing. We have to send fewer people south because we can now treat them at Royal Darwin. All of these things drive costs up. They have been recognised in the budget, and the budget for Royal Darwin Hospital is appropriate to the needs of Territorians for next year.
ANSWER
Mr Speaker, there will be an opportunity next week for the opposition member to interrogate the health budget in some depth. I hope this will be an educative exercise for him, because he has shown a great tendency to be a bit of an economic buffoon - I suppose is the best word I could use to describe him - in his discussions thus far about the budget.
The Northern Territory government has increased the budget to Royal Darwin Hospital again this year. It builds on the last decade or so of increases in this area. Those increases are driven by data that is well understood and is able to fit into the lexicon of Treasury so that we understand what is driving the costs. We have been able to re-engineer how we deliver some of our services, finding efficiencies within the operation of Royal Darwin Hospital.
But it should be said that the population is increasing. Our levels of acuity are increasing. Our levels of specialisation at the hospital - a good-news story - are increasing. We have to send fewer people south because we can now treat them at Royal Darwin. All of these things drive costs up. They have been recognised in the budget, and the budget for Royal Darwin Hospital is appropriate to the needs of Territorians for next year.
Last updated: 09 Aug 2016