Friday 8th September 2000

HEALTH SYSTEM IN MELTDOWN HITS

Victoria's public hospital system is suffering its deepest crisis in more than a
decade, with elective surgery cancelled for three weeks and waiting lists to
soar above 40,000.

Shadow Health Minister Robert Doyle said cancelling elective surgery for three
weeks was unheard of and unacceptable.

"This decision affects 40,000 sick Victorians," Mr Doyle said.

"Intensive care, critical care, emergency departments and ambulance resources
are in chaos. The Health Minister's panic solution is to cancel elective
surgery for three weeks, guaranteeing a crisis in elective surgery waiting lists
in the months and years to come.

"For four months the Health Minister John Thwaites has claimed his Winter Beds
Strategy was working, denied there was any problem in emergency departments or
intensive care, and now sick Victorians will pay the price for his incompetence.

"It is unprecedented to cancel elective surgery across all Melbourne hospitals
for a three week period.

"It is not even a guarantee of fixing the system. As elective surgery patients
get sicker they will present at emergency departments.

"And what happens at the end of this three week period?

"This does nothing to fix the causes of the problem, it merely sacrifices
elective surgery patients to shore up critical care.

"Victorians deserve to have the whole system working. Health care should not be
a lottery and health policy should be more than lurching for crisis to crisis.

"Health needs a full time Minister. The Health portfolio is not a part-time
job.

"The Health Minister grasps at straws when he tries to blame Federal Government
aged care policies, the previous government or seasonal demand from his
mismanagement and the present crisis.

"The truth is there are always stresses on the health system, but we have never
had to cancel elective surgery across all hospitals for a three week period.

"The only difference in the Health portfolio between September 1999 and
September 2000 is that John Thwaites is the Health Minister."