The Hodgman Liberal Government is continuing a record investment in Tasmania’s health system with an additional $50 million for frontline health services and a total budget of $6.4 billion over four years.
With the state’s finances back on track we are able to reinvest in essential services such as health, which is exactly what the 2016-17 Budget does.
The additional $50 million is part of our commitment to build a better health service for all Tasmanians and is on top of the extra $100 million announced in last year’s Budget for frontline health.
It includes an extra $30 million for new and improved hospital services to deliver better outcomes for patients under the One Health System reforms. Clinical services are being consolidated into sites which are equipped and capable of delivering services safely and efficiently, we are also building a new integrated maternity service in the North-West, providing services across the region.
The Mersey Hospital will in turn be established as a dedicated elective surgery centre and broaden the range of services it delivers. Across the rest of the State, existing services will be reconfigured to deliver better patient outcomes.
Additional funding is also being provided to target obesity and smoking under our Healthy Tasmania policy, implement Patients First actions to ensure hospital emergency departments are treating people as quickly as possible, and for mental health priorities included in the State Government’s Rethink Mental Health Plan 2015-2025 .
The Government is also continuing to roll our more than $180 million in existing health priorities such as our $76 million commitment to reduce elective surgery waiting lists, $17.1 million for patient transport and accommodation services, nearly $17 million for the operation of the newly-opened North-West Cancer Centre and $3.7 million to tackle ice and other drugs, including the new Ulverstone Residential Rehabilitation facility.
Tasmanians deserve to have state-of-the-art health facilities which is why we are investing more than $515 million into frontline health infrastructure that will benefit generations to come.
This includes $457.2 million for the Royal Hobart Hospital Redevelopment, $3.8 million to upgrade and expand the RHH Pharmacy, $7.9 million to upgrade the Launceston General Hospital’s children’s ward 4K, $8.1 million for the St Helens Hospital Redevelopment and funding for health centres in Glenorchy ($16.5 million) and Kingston ($5.9 million).
The Hodgman Liberal Government is putting patients first and creating a truly statewide health system that delivers higher quality services and better outcomes for all Tasmanians.
