The Department of Health has issued a statement, warning people off attending the Launceston General Hospital due to “impacted” capacity. It’s a shocking sign of a system in crisis.
It comes as the ANMF says the hospital is at critical capacity, with only three beds available. It’s been this way for four weeks and follows a terrible night in the hospital’s Emergency Department last week where it was overflowing with patients waiting for care.
This isn’t a new problem, and the solutions have been known for years. Unsurprisingly, asking people not to go to hospital when they’re experiencing health issues is not the solution.
The Liberal Government have chosen not to act on the recommendations of the ANMF or the Ambulance Ramping Inquiry chaired by the Greens, to improve access and flow. Now it’s sick Tasmanians who are suffering the consequences.
The Liberals need to stop applying band-aid solutions to this dire situation and take real action to address the long-term problems that have led to this crisis. This includes urgently addressing hospital capacity and staffing issues. The Liberals must reverse the $700 million in cuts to the health service and ensure funding is there to stop the rolling crises in health.
The issues at the LGH are unacceptable, and the Liberal Government must act on broader access and flow solutions.
