The Liberal Government is committed to fixing Tasmania's health system. We know we can't turn our health system around overnight, that's why we've got a long-term Plan to rebuild essential services.
The latest report on elective surgery waiting times highlights just how badly Labor failed Tasmanians in the health system.
The Australian Institute of Health and Welfare Report on Elective Surgery Waiting Times for the 2013-14 financial year shows that in Labor's last years of Government, waiting times blew out.
The median waiting times increased from 36 days in 2009-10 to 45 days in 2013-14, with Tasmania also recording the highest proportion of patients waiting more than 365 days for admission in 2013-14.
The report shows just 75 per cent of Category 1 and Category 3 patients were admitted within clinically recommended time in 2013-14, while only half of Category 2 patients were admitted within the recommended time.
For those still on the waiting list at June 30 2014, the average overdue wait time for Category 1 patients was 30 days, while Category 2 and Category 3 patients waited an average of 190 and 491 days over the clinically recommended time frame.
There is no doubt Labor abandoned Tasmanians on waiting lists and that's why the Liberal Government is investing an extra $76 million over the next four years to deliver up to an extra 15,000 additional surgeries – with $16 million flowing from July 1 2014.
By working constructively with the Federal Government we have also secured an additional $23.4 million provided for elective surgery, which will see up to an extra 2,000 Tasmanians get their treatment in the next two years.
We know there is a lot of work to be done but we are committed to fixing Labor's mess. That's why we're investing a record $1.465 billion into health this year and reforming the system into a single, statewide health system which puts the needs of patients back where they belong – at the forefront of every decision.