Mr STIRLING - 1995-11-23
Can the minister tell myself and my constituents why the Gove District Hospital is operating with 2.5 doctors out of a total complement of 8 doctors? How much longer will the CLP government make my constituents wait before all the doctor positions at Gove Hospital are filled?
ANSWER
Mr Speaker, one of the dilemmas with staffing in remote areas is that we cannot chain people to their desks or to the operating theatre door. That is an obvious difficulty which I am sure even the member for Nhulunbuy would understand. The department has some excellent processes in place to help minimise those impacts in the remoter hospitals. In addition to the 2.5 positions, some emergency relief staff have been placed at Gove.
Members interjecting.
Mr FINCH: There are people in addition to the 2.5 positions. Members should not think that there are people only in the 2.5 positions the member has mentioned. Other staff have been placed there for a short term to relieve the pressure. I understand that the hospital has been able to organise its full complement of doctors as from January. Hopefully, they will remain for the term for which they are engaged, but time will tell. At least, I understand that they have been recruited. Would the member have the department double up on recruitment?
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That includes the 2 extra that were allocated solely to Gove District Hospital from the recent ...
Mr Stirling: They may have been allocated, but no one is there.
Mr FINCH: In addition, a far more cooperative arrangement is being introduced between the hospitals to enable people to be moved more easily, particularly for emergency relief. This relates not only to doctors, but also to allied health professionals, X-ray technicians, pharmacists etc. Gove, Katherine and Tennant Creek will benefit from that arrangement.
Also, in relation to the recruitment of medical officers for next year, the department will sign up quite a number on a rotational basis, meaning that they will spend, say, 3 months at Gove, then move to Katherine and later back to Darwin. They will rotate between the smaller and larger hospitals. All this will lead to a greater assurance - not a guarantee, but a greater assurance - that the full complement of doctors will be met at all of our hospitals.
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ANSWER
Mr Speaker, one of the dilemmas with staffing in remote areas is that we cannot chain people to their desks or to the operating theatre door. That is an obvious difficulty which I am sure even the member for Nhulunbuy would understand. The department has some excellent processes in place to help minimise those impacts in the remoter hospitals. In addition to the 2.5 positions, some emergency relief staff have been placed at Gove.
Members interjecting.
Mr FINCH: There are people in addition to the 2.5 positions. Members should not think that there are people only in the 2.5 positions the member has mentioned. Other staff have been placed there for a short term to relieve the pressure. I understand that the hospital has been able to organise its full complement of doctors as from January. Hopefully, they will remain for the term for which they are engaged, but time will tell. At least, I understand that they have been recruited. Would the member have the department double up on recruitment?
Page 1040
That includes the 2 extra that were allocated solely to Gove District Hospital from the recent ...
Mr Stirling: They may have been allocated, but no one is there.
Mr FINCH: In addition, a far more cooperative arrangement is being introduced between the hospitals to enable people to be moved more easily, particularly for emergency relief. This relates not only to doctors, but also to allied health professionals, X-ray technicians, pharmacists etc. Gove, Katherine and Tennant Creek will benefit from that arrangement.
Also, in relation to the recruitment of medical officers for next year, the department will sign up quite a number on a rotational basis, meaning that they will spend, say, 3 months at Gove, then move to Katherine and later back to Darwin. They will rotate between the smaller and larger hospitals. All this will lead to a greater assurance - not a guarantee, but a greater assurance - that the full complement of doctors will be met at all of our hospitals.
Page 1041
Last updated: 09 Aug 2016