There’s nothing unusual about health and the provision of health services – or lack therewith – playing a major part of determining the outcome of any election.
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That will certainly be the case sometime between now and March 2018 when Tasmanian voters go to the polls for the next state election.
It was a hot topic at last year’s federal election – particularly the issue of Medicare (or should that be Mediscare?).
This week, Tasmanian Senator Jacqui Lambie threw down the gauntlet to both the state and federal governments by saying she will be forced to run candidates at the next state election unless the major parties got their act together and fixed the North and North-West’s “health crisis”.
There’s little doubt the federal government needs to do more by way of funding for health in this country.
A little over a decade ago, Tasmania’s health funding split was about 60 per cent federal, 40 per cent state funded.
Today, that figure is closer to the opposite – 40 per cent federal, 60 per cent state.
For Tasmania’s Liberal government, that’s a huge impost on the budget – health spending makes up about 25 per cent of the overall budget. And it’s growing well beyond any other cost.
The most recent EMRS poll showed support for the government in decline, while support for Labor and the Greens was up, although only very marginally.
Overall, the poll showed there was an increasing chance of a hung parliament – again – so any seats that may fall to an independent or member of the Jacqui Lambie Party, albeit unlikely, may end up holding the balance of power in our 25-seat House of Assembly.
Health Minister Michael Ferguson and the rest of his party will be well aware the government relies heavily on the seats of Bass, Braddon and Lyons – all in the North. They make up 10 of the 15 seats of power.
A well functioning, well-funded health system in the North will go a long way to helping secure those 10 seats. The recent announcement of the permanent funding of 15 beds was a good start, particularly from a patients’ perspective an d will hopefully help alleviate any potential bed block within accident and emergency at the LGH.
And let’s not underplay the significance of accreditation and any potential impact upon the hospital’s ability to retain and attract quality trainees and specialists.
