As lockdown lifts across the nation, many remain locked out of timely care.

Today, Australian Medical Association President, Dr Omar Khorshid, said that the AMA’s Public Hospital Report Card 2021 shows that even during the 2020 lockdowns, hospitals were still overwhelmed – with backsliding or barely improved performance with dramatically reduced patient volumes.

The new nicotine vaping laws, which come into effect today, are timely as the prevalence of harmful vaping rapidly increases in the community with growing evidence about the harms of e-cigarettes to the health of vapers.

AMA Tasmania welcomes the increased investment in health services as announced in the budget to help alleviate immediate pressures in our hospitals today. However, more needs to be done to prepare for tomorrow.

We have a population growing older and sicker each year, increasing demand on our services, which have not been keeping up – hence our elective surgery lists have blown out, and our emergency departments are at breaking point.

We need more vision, more action, more investment.  

ICT (Information and Communications Technology)

AMA Tasmania welcomes the government’s elective surgery waiting list reduction plan released today.

Across the state our public elective surgery lists contain patients that require urgent, semi-urgent and surgery within a year. All these continue to grow in number, and patients are waiting far too long.

AMA Tasmania welcomes today's commitment made by the State Government to implement a state-wide clinical services plan for health, a plan the AMA has lobbied for some time.

President Dr Helen McArdle noted, “the last comprehensive state-wide Clinical Services Plan was released in 2007.

AMA Tasmania Vice President Dr John Saul said today that the AMA welcomed the long-overdue release of the report into a patient's care at the Roy Fagan Centre.

"It is important that lessons are learnt by everyone at all levels of government from the circumstances surrounding the event that led to this report.

AMA Tasmania calls for an urgent roundtable to be convened by the Secretary of the Department of Health to discuss solutions to the crisis being felt at the Royal Hobart and Launceston General Hospitals.

Both the RHH and LGH are at breaking point. 

AMA Tasmania President Dr Helen McArdle today congratulated Deputy Premier Jeremy Rockliff on his appointment to Health and Mental Health and Wellbeing portfolios.

“We look forward to working with Minister Rockliff on the issues confronting the Tasmanian health system.

“We enjoyed a positive and productive working relationship with the former Minister for Health, Sarah Courtney and wish her well in her new portfolios.

As you will undoubtedly be aware, the Voluntary Assisted Dying legislation introduced into Parliament, with its many amendments, iterations, review panels, meetings, inquiries, presentations, consultations, advocacy, and lobbying later has now been passed. It will come into law in Tasmania in 2022 once Royal assent is received.

Health is the number one issue in this election for a good reason.

Our mental health service is in crisis.

Our alcohol and drug services are on the verge of collapse.

Our acute care hospitals are bulging at the seams with growing demand, and our waiting lists are blowing out.