Page 492 - Week 02 - Tuesday, 23 February 2010
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . .
data, is about the landscape of the health of the ACT generally speaking in health services, could the minister let us know whether there has been any improvement between, say, the year 2000, when there was mayhem running riot in the Liberal government’s time, and now?
MS GALLAGHER: One of the most significant indicators that you will see in terms of a change over that time is the reduction in costs, that is, running a much more efficient health system, which we have to do if we are able to meet the health needs of our city.
When we came to government, the costs of running the health system were 30 per cent higher than the national average. Those costs are now down to 106.6 per cent—6.6 per cent still. So we have seen a 24 per cent improvement in efficiency of the system. At the same time, our output has almost doubled—
Opposition members interjecting—
MR SPEAKER: Order!
MS GALLAGHER: In fact, I think it has more than doubled—and the budget has doubled as well.
Mr Hanson interjecting—
MS GALLAGHER: Again, when you look at the throughput of what is coming through our emergency departments, what is coming through the elective surgery program—
Mr Hanson interjecting—
MR SPEAKER: Order, Mr Hanson!
MS GALLAGHER: doing in excess of 10,000 procedures last financial year, when I think what you were doing in Mr Smyth’s government was somewhere in the order of 4,000 or 5,000. We have doubled the program. We have commissioned operating theatres. We have 10,000 people being removed from the list—
Opposition members interjecting—
MR SPEAKER: Order, members!
MS GALLAGHER: at a time that 10,000 are joining it. Despite this continuing growth in demand, and the fact that we have had to replace 114 beds from the Liberal government, that were removed under Mr Smyth’s deputy leadership, or wherever he was—
Mr Smyth interjecting—
MS GALLAGHER: We have tabled them a number of times—114 extra beds. We have had to fix up the mistakes. And the health system is performing well.
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . .