Memo to Kevin and Nicola – Get Out of Your Comfort Zone on Health
29th July, 2009
Regional and rural hospitals need to be on the visiting list for the Prime Minister and Health Minister if they want to see the real damage incompetent State Government administration has wrought.The Leader of The Nationals, Warren Truss, said perfectly-planned media picture opportunities in city hospitals were no substitute for genuine consultation and investigation.
“The hard-working health professionals in regional public hospitals have plenty of stories to tell, and few of them will be positive,” Mr Truss said.
“If Mr Rudd really wants to know what’s going on in health care, he must go beyond the better resourced city teaching hospitals and see some of the medical facilities in regional and country towns. Even better, he should go to places with no hospital, no doctor and no medical services.
“An offer of a telephone medical service is not a satisfactory option for country people. You cannot have an appendix removed by telephone.
“Some hospitals have effectively closed down in regional areas to all but geriatric services. In others, doctors and nurses are dipping into their own pockets to fund vital items like bandages. Some essential services are run on a 9 to 5 basis because of State financial cutbacks.
“Yet Mr Rudd is effectively saying today exactly the same things that he was two years ago while in Opposition. His election commitment was that ‘the buck stops with me’ on health and he gave the States a deadline of June 30 to get their act into gear.
“That deadline has passed and health outcomes continue to deteriorate. Yet another review has been commissioned, wasting more time.
“Mr Rudd and Ms Roxon need to see regional hospitals first hand. They should have been doing that years ago, but they cannot avoid their responsibilities now,” Mr Truss said.
