And Tasmania, as it is on many health and socio-economic indicators, is at the wrong end of those figures.

Unlike mainland Australia where the leading cause of death is cancer, cardiovascular disease is the biggest killer of Tasmanians.

This is why acute cardiac services, such as the relatively small unit at the Launceston General Hospital, are vital for saving lives.

Head of cardiology at the LGH, Dr Brian Herman, has criticised the plan to move two beds from his department to the acute medical unit. It does not sound like much of an impact, but given two beds are a third of its resource, it has the potential to cause major upset in the department.

Dr Herman believes it could also compromise patient care with the cardiac unit having a higher patient-carer ratio than the acute medical unit.

It could result, he says, in cardiac patients waiting in emergency for a bed to become available or being sent to Hobart.

The department has had its busiest year on record and is already running above capacity.

That is not to say the Tasmanian Health Organisation North should be immune from cuts. It cannot be denied that savings need to be made across the Health Department, which accounts for more than a quarter of the state's budget.

There is no easy solution and it is up to medical professionals too to come up with suggestions.

BUILDING BOOM

On more positive news, the government is spruiking a building boom in the state with several major projects coming up.

One can hope the long-delayed development of Parliament Square provides a boost for Tasmanian contractors and that the stalled Royal Hobart Hospital redevelopment gets back on track.

Northern Tasmania has some projects rolling ahead too with the Silo Hotel and Penny Royal developments and the construction of a new supermarket on Wellington Street.