Tasmanian Labor today announced a $560 million health plan designed to relieve the health crisis, including key commitments of 90 new hospital beds, 100 new nurses, 25 new ambulance paramedics, two new ambulance trucks and 15 additional ambulance communications staff.

The need for funding to repair our health system cannot be overstated. The Hodgman Government’s $210 million health cuts have left our health system in turmoil without the staff or resources to meet demand.

HACSU is disappointed by the Hodgman Government’s continued failure to respond to or indeed acknowledge the health crisis and invest in restoring our health system. This inaction cannot continue.

Tasmania’s emergency department waiting times are the worst in the country, in large part due to a shortage of hospital beds and staff. We know bed block costs lives and puts additional strain on our ambulances.

HACSU welcomes Labor’s commitment to investing in our health system and ending the Tasmanian health crisis. In particular we are pleased to see commitments to much-needed measures to clear emergency department bed block, improve ambulance response times and ensure provision of better primary health and mental health services.