Mr HIGGINS - 2012-12-05
Can you please advise the House how this Country Liberal government is improving services to Territorians who require elective surgery?
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, I thank the member for Daly for his very good question. Elective surgery waiting lists are of particular concern to Northern Territorians given our heavy reliance on the public hospital system for major elective surgery.
There are other problems such as the lack of creativity by the previous government in looking for answers to reduce elective surgery waiting lists. Their desire to constantly deficit fund the Health department has put pressure on that department over certainty with their funding. The fact they ignored ongoing funding requirements for health services across the Northern Territory has put enormous pressures on elective surgery waiting lists.
Unlike other states where they have a strong private sector to assist in reducing the significant block on elective surgery, the Territory practically has none, with some elective surgeries being carried out at Darwin Private Hospital and some - and I hope many more - being carried out at the Casuarina Day Surgery. Those things should go a long way to reducing waiting lists.
However, as the Treasurer announced yesterday, the government has allocated an additional $4.6m to provide 400 additional elective surgeries every year. It is probably an easy thing to say: $4.6m for 400 additional surgeries. However, the way in which government is looking to reduce these waiting lists with that money is by tasking clinicians at RDH and Alice Springs Hospital to find a number of ways to reduce elective surgery waiting lists. They are looking at increasing blitzes at some of our underutilised hospitals. The very beautiful Katherine Hospital, Tennant Creek Hospital, and Gove Hospital are all places where we can carry out elective surgeries and where we do not have major capacity problems. They are looking at a dedicated emergency surgical team to manage those high-demand emergency services, reducing cancellations for that reason. We are looking at putting in place tele-medicine for outpatient appointments and reducing turnaround surgery procedures to get more people through surgeries.
All in all, it is a good news story for Territorians. We are working to reduce elective surgery waiting lists ...
Madam SPEAKER: Your time has expired, minister.
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, I thank the member for Daly for his very good question. Elective surgery waiting lists are of particular concern to Northern Territorians given our heavy reliance on the public hospital system for major elective surgery.
There are other problems such as the lack of creativity by the previous government in looking for answers to reduce elective surgery waiting lists. Their desire to constantly deficit fund the Health department has put pressure on that department over certainty with their funding. The fact they ignored ongoing funding requirements for health services across the Northern Territory has put enormous pressures on elective surgery waiting lists.
Unlike other states where they have a strong private sector to assist in reducing the significant block on elective surgery, the Territory practically has none, with some elective surgeries being carried out at Darwin Private Hospital and some - and I hope many more - being carried out at the Casuarina Day Surgery. Those things should go a long way to reducing waiting lists.
However, as the Treasurer announced yesterday, the government has allocated an additional $4.6m to provide 400 additional elective surgeries every year. It is probably an easy thing to say: $4.6m for 400 additional surgeries. However, the way in which government is looking to reduce these waiting lists with that money is by tasking clinicians at RDH and Alice Springs Hospital to find a number of ways to reduce elective surgery waiting lists. They are looking at increasing blitzes at some of our underutilised hospitals. The very beautiful Katherine Hospital, Tennant Creek Hospital, and Gove Hospital are all places where we can carry out elective surgeries and where we do not have major capacity problems. They are looking at a dedicated emergency surgical team to manage those high-demand emergency services, reducing cancellations for that reason. We are looking at putting in place tele-medicine for outpatient appointments and reducing turnaround surgery procedures to get more people through surgeries.
All in all, it is a good news story for Territorians. We are working to reduce elective surgery waiting lists ...
Madam SPEAKER: Your time has expired, minister.
Last updated: 09 Aug 2016