AMA Tasmania welcomes and supports White Paper principles
The Australian Medical Association (AMA) Tasmania supports the principles underpinning the State Government’s White Paper on proposed health reforms. In particular, it supports changes designed to improve health outcomes for patients in North-West Tasmania.
AMA Tasmania President A/Prof Tim Greenaway said comments attributed to Opposition Leader Bryan Green in today’s Advocate, that North-West patient outcomes would be worse if they had to travel for treatment, were unfortunate and ill-informed.
“It is simply wrong to suggest that patient safety will be compromised if they need to travel to seek complex medical care,” A/Prof Greenaway said.
“It is important that patients requiring complex surgery travel to hospitals to be treated by doctors who are highly experienced in these surgeries, who have experienced teams behind them, the correct equipment to perform these surgeries and the ability to provide the best possible post-operative care.
“In terms of complex cancer treatments for patients on the North-West coast, simply having ‘a machine that goes ping’ does not provide the care that is necessary.
“To provide quality cancer treatment, you not only need the correct machines. You also need the experienced nursing staff, radiation therapists, oncologists and allied health staff.
“A comprehensive service for patients with cancer cannot be provided in isolation and it is disingenuous to suggest otherwise.
“AMA Tasmania believes that patients in the North-West of the state deserve access to the best treatment Tasmania can provide and under certain circumstances that may mean that they need to travel to Launceston or Hobart to receive it.”
For more information: Lucinda Szczypior, Font PR, 0438 280 486 or lucindas@fontpr.com.au