Ms CARNEY - 2002-03-06
I understand that BreastScreen NT at Casuarina resumed screening the week before last, having ceased this important work in November last year. Does the minister agree that this is an unacceptably long time for this important women’s service to be unavailable? Would the minister advise the House why this has happened, and would she give us an assurance that it will not happen again?
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, yes, I am aware that the breast screen service was closed. Apparently, it is normally closed over the Christmas period. In this situation though, what has happened was that the specialist mammographer resigned. There was a locum who was brought in but, in the meantime, that person had to go on leave as well. We were unable to get a suitable radiographer, so the decision was made by the department that the service would close until February.
This is a problem, but you know what? This is part of a whole problem in relation to recruitment and retention which the previous government never took any notice of. We have issues in relation to nurses, to all specialist services, including radiographers and dentists. Every type of specialist that we need for our hospitals and our other clinics, we have problems with. So, what we have put in place is a system. We are going to be doing a national advertising campaign which will look at lifestyle issues in relation to the Northern Territory, to attract specialists to come here, such as the one with BreastScreen NT. We will make sure that this happens.
I thank the member for her question. I also agree that breast screening is a very important service for women of the Northern Territory, and I will be doing whatever I can to ensure that this service is not closed again.
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, yes, I am aware that the breast screen service was closed. Apparently, it is normally closed over the Christmas period. In this situation though, what has happened was that the specialist mammographer resigned. There was a locum who was brought in but, in the meantime, that person had to go on leave as well. We were unable to get a suitable radiographer, so the decision was made by the department that the service would close until February.
This is a problem, but you know what? This is part of a whole problem in relation to recruitment and retention which the previous government never took any notice of. We have issues in relation to nurses, to all specialist services, including radiographers and dentists. Every type of specialist that we need for our hospitals and our other clinics, we have problems with. So, what we have put in place is a system. We are going to be doing a national advertising campaign which will look at lifestyle issues in relation to the Northern Territory, to attract specialists to come here, such as the one with BreastScreen NT. We will make sure that this happens.
I thank the member for her question. I also agree that breast screening is a very important service for women of the Northern Territory, and I will be doing whatever I can to ensure that this service is not closed again.
Last updated: 09 Aug 2016