Page 1631 - Week 06 - Tuesday, 30 April 1991
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MR HUMPHRIES: Yes, certainly, Mr Speaker. I will plough on towards an answer for those opposite. I know that they regret the other circumstances that surround this matter. I know that they are embarrassed and uncomfortable about their own record in health. I certainly would be if I had been in their shoes in the seven months of 1989.
Mr Speaker, the basic fact is that this Government acted decisively and swiftly when it came into office to deal with the $7m budget blow-out inherited from Mr Berry. We acted decisively to fix that problem. And, of course, we were blocked all the way by those opposite in the measures we took to improve the quality of health services as a result of that. We know all about the blocking that the Opposition did as a result of those steps. The Government, of course, immediately began to make changes in the area, for example, of nurse administration.
Mr Berry: On a point of order, Mr Speaker: I do not mind the ministerial statement from this Minister at an appropriate time; but the question before the house clearly relates to the Minister's failure to do anything in response to a 1989 report which was given to the Government, despite his promises to do so. The issue is relevance.
MR SPEAKER: This is not a valid point of order, Mr Berry; you are debating the issue. Mr Humphries has now concluded his answer to you.
Hospital Services
MR MOORE: Mr Speaker, my question is also to Mr Humphries, as Minister for Health. Mr Humphries, I refer to Hansard, 15 November 1989, when you were criticising Mr Berry as Minister for Health. You said:
Let us look at the number of level 4 nurses used in the ACT's hospital system compared with, say, the Royal Adelaide Hospital. The Royal Adelaide Hospital has 795 beds, the combined Woden Valley and Royal Canberra Hospitals have 772 beds, so it is slightly smaller than Royal Adelaide. How many level 4 nurses does Royal Adelaide need? It needs nine. How many does the ACT's hospital system need? It needs 27 - three times as many as in comparable systems.
Mr Humphries, my question is: Considering that Mr Berry had seven months in government and you have had about 18, and considering that you identified this problem, what have you done to rectify it, or was it only a problem if someone else was the Minister? What is the number of level 4 nurses now in the hospital system in the ACT?
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