The Liberal-Lambie Coalition are slashing Tasmania’s health system to pay for their budget disaster, but the latest health dashboard figures show we can’t afford their cuts.

The Liberal Government’s so called ‘elective surgery blitz’ turned out to be nonsense. The new dashboard figures show that 8,303 patients are on the elective surgery waitlist, meaning it has grown by five percent since this time last year.

The data also shows category 3 patients are waiting an average of 230 days beyond clinically recommended times for surgery.

There are 58,939 patients waiting for outpatient procedures, which include cancer screening, cardiology, neurology, paediatrics, and other important specialist procedures.

Unfortunately, help is not on the way.

In fact, the Government’s efficiency dividend has now taken effect and the health system will receive additional cuts over the next three years.

This is in addition to the sweeping health job cuts the government is already embarking on through their vacancy control board – with at least 700 jobs on the chopping block. There is no way the health system can afford these job cuts let alone adding an efficiency dividend savings target on top.

The government was already cutting jobs in the health system, now the health system will be made to sustain even deeper cuts.

Tasmanian health service staff do amazing things on a daily basis, they deserve a Government that fights to improve conditions for Tasmania’s dedicated health workers.

Ella Haddad MP
Shadow Minister for Health