Media release

Critical investment needed now in health

Tasmania’s health system is in trouble, continuously struggling to meet the needs of our vulnerable population, from children to older people.

The state invests about $3 billion in healthcare annually, but it is not enough.

With a tightening state budget and limited new spending occurring across health, the government must maximise funding and consider revenue options to support healthcare needs.

Not supporting growth in services is as bad as cutting services in health, both mean patients will miss out on vital timely care.

While there has been increased investment in elective surgery to reduce waiting lists in recent years, diagnostic services like radiology and pathology have struggled with increasing demand for testing. Patients have been left waiting for scans and pathology results that could be lifesaving.

Public hospital in-patients compete with outpatients for ultrasounds, CT scans, and MRIs, which delay diagnosis and treatment.

We are facing an ageing population, high chronic disease rates, and limited access to private care.

We are seeing patients increasingly rely on the public health system due to reduced access to some private specialists, especially paediatrics, neurology, general physicians, geriatricians, and kidney specialists.

Outdated infrastructure makes things worse, leading to inefficiencies and higher costs. These same outdated facilities also brand the Tasmanian Health System less appealing for attracting and retaining new specialists.

Trying to redevelop a new hospital on a current site is proving slow, expensive, complex, and challenging.

Stage two (the second tower) of the redevelopment is not even on the drawing board.

Staff are being left in limbo, waiting for budget commitments to fund essential upgrades and are fed up with working on a continual building site and constant relocation.

The AMA Tasmania proposes key 2025-26 budget priorities to address these challenges.

  • We must commit to building a new offsite acute tertiary hospital in southern Tasmania and get on with the planned redevelopments in the north and northwest, upgrading and expanding the current facilities. This includes more beds and new services to reduce pressure on existing hospitals.
  • Invest in resources to speed up diagnoses and treatment for patients.
  • Fast-track a seamless EMR system that will improve communication and reduce errors in patient care.
  • Improve access to virtual care to reduce hospital admissions and provide timely support.                                                                                                                                       
  • Implement robotic surgery at the Royal Hobart Hospital to expand surgical capabilities.
  • Increase support for general practice and improve collaboration between primary care and hospitals.

The government must enact strategies to maintain and attract a strong healthcare workforce in Tasmania.

The government must act now to improve our health system.

We must remove the efficiency dividend on health spending and increase the health budget to meet rising demands.

We must prioritise health for all Tasmanians.

By investing in these areas, we can create a sustainable and effective healthcare system.

The AMA is also calling on politicians to end the blame game, for all parties to get together, and have the discussions that need to be had around funding healthcare and the necessary tax reforms that are required to deliver the funding required to meet the demands being placed on our health system.>>>ENDS

AMA Tasmania Community Budget Submission 2025-26

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