Health system
Mr SOUTHWICK (Caulfield) (14:28): My question is to the Minister for Health. Bronwyn Natecki is a 76-year-old woman who lives in Caulfield and has been waiting for more than two years to have hip replacement surgery. Ms Natecki is in constant pain and relies on addictive painkillers and an 85-year-old family member to care for her. She has been given no time line about her surgery after two years of waiting. She faces a long wait, with surgery waiting lists growing and growing under a government with no plan.
Members interjecting.
Mr SOUTHWICK: This is quite serious. Ms Natecki is watching this broadcast today. What can the minister say to her about the state of a health system that leaves a 76-year-old lady waiting more than two years to have a hip replacement, with no resolution in sight?
Mr Edbrooke interjected.
The SPEAKER: The member for Frankston is warned.
Ms THOMAS (Macedon—Minister for Health, Minister for Ambulance Services) (14:29): I thank the member for Caulfield for his question. I acknowledge that hip pain can be extremely painful—I think there are many of us that know that from experience—but I want to say this. The question was what the government is doing. Well, let me tell you what we are doing. We have a $1.5 billion catch-up plan in place. The pandemic has caused quite devastating impacts in our healthcare system, and that has been primarily as a consequence of our healthcare workers being impacted by the global pandemic, being impacted by coronavirus. What we know still is that on any given day between 1500 and 2000 healthcare workers have to stay at home because they have been impacted by COVID. This is of course in addition to other planned and unplanned leave that is being managed through our healthcare system.
The question, as I said, was do we have a plan. And the answer very clearly is, yes, we do. Our $1.5 billion planned surgery catch-up plan is backed in with our $12 billion pandemic repair plan. I have already detailed some of the elements of that plan so I do not propose to do it again. But I will make this point. The member for Caulfield said this is a very serious issue, and indeed absolutely this is a very serious issue. This is about people, health care; it is not about politics. Those on the other side want to politicise this at every step of the way. They have done it throughout the pandemic. They have refused to acknowledge the challenges that our healthcare workers and our health system have been under, and absolutely every question that they ask in this place is an insult to the healthcare workers who are striving every day to deliver the healthcare work. They are working extra shifts, they are coming in off holiday—they are doing everything that is possible to meet the needs of those patients that are waiting for planned surgery.
Mr SOUTHWICK (Caulfield) (14:32): Our healthcare workers are doing a fantastic job under huge stress, but none of this is helping people like Bronwyn. People like Bronwyn are likely to end up in aged care prematurely because their elderly family members are being forced to provide extended care while they wait too long for vital elective surgery. What is the government doing to support the growing number of Victorians who end up prematurely in aged care simply because they cannot get the surgery that they desperately need at the time they need it?
Ms THOMAS (Macedon—Minister for Health, Minister for Ambulance Services) (14:33): I thank the member for his supplementary question. I make the note that it was just unqualified ideas that he had. I do not know where the data comes from to support this suggestion that people are prematurely moving into aged care, but can I say this. One of the big challenges that is facing our health system right now is bed block caused by older Victorians who are in our healthcare system who should be or want to be able to move into aged care. But here is the thing. Because of the actions of the previous, former federal government—I should say the inactions of the previous, former Liberal government—many in our community have lost confidence in the private aged care system, and this of course creates its own challenges. Our government looks forward to working with the federal Labor government to restore aged care to provide the quality services that older Victorians need and deserve.