Prime Minister Scott Morrison claimed bulk billing rates for GPs were "at record highs" and there was "a lot of investment going into health" when questioned about health funding during his visit to Launceston on Saturday.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Mr Morrison would not be drawn on the pressures on the Launceston General Hospital and Tasmanian health system more widely, and instead chose to talk up the government's health credentials.
"We have record funding both now and into future which is going into providing healthcare," he said.
MORE ON HEALTH FUNDING IN LAUNCESTON
"We have bulk billing rates now for GP services at record highs.
"There's a lot of investment going into health, and the reason that is happening is because we know how to manage a budget."
A Four Corners report on discrepancies between city and country health services featured Launceston General Hospital.
In a letter to The Examiner, LGH medical staff association chairperson Scott Parkes said while it was incorrect to suggest quality of healthcare was poorer in regional hospitals compared to cities, there were pressures being placed on local hospital staff.
"It is true that the LGH has problems," he said.
"People wait too long in the emergency department for beds, and too long for elective surgery.
"The fundamental problem in my view is that the hospital has insufficient beds. And proposed cuts in hospital funding are extremely concerning.
"But the commitment of staff and the quality of care they deliver is outstanding, and not in any doubt."