Tuesday, 16 August 2022

Health system

Ms KEALY (Lowan) (14:29): My question is to the Minister for Health. With over 26 000 Victorians being removed from the public elective surgery waiting list without receiving surgery over the past calendar year, can the minister advise how many of these were removed because tragically they have died?

Ms THOMAS (Macedon—Minister for Health, Minister for Ambulance Services) (14:30): As I have already pointed out, our planned surgery lists are actively managed by health services at all times, by clinicians, and indeed what I have been told is that in fact other treatments become available or the condition can resolve itself. There are a range of reasons why people come off our planned surgery list. What is important in relation to this issue of planned surgeries is the work that we are doing to address the issue that has been caused as a direct result of the pandemic. I want to make this point, that at every step of the way throughout the COVID pandemic unfortunately—

Ms Kealy: On a point of order, Speaker, on relevance, the question was specific to how many Victorians were removed from the elective surgery waitlist because they had died. It is a simple question. I ask for a straightforward response.

The SPEAKER: The minister was responding—I cannot direct the minister how to respond, but the minister was responding to the question.

Ms THOMAS: Thank you very much, Speaker. Once again, as I have said, there are many reasons why people are removed from the planned surgery waitlist. I make the point that there are a range of things that happen in people’s lives which may have absolutely no reference back to their planned surgery needs. So I am not going to engage with that particular question because once again what we have seen from those on the other side is that they are actually not interested in patient outcomes.

Ms Staley: On a point of order, Speaker, the minister just said that she was not going to engage with that question. Those were her exact words. The sessional orders require her to engage with the question and to be direct, factual and succinct in answering it.

Ms Blandthorn: On the point of order, Speaker, the member for Ripon is putting words in the mouth of the minister. The minister said she was not engaging in the politics, not that she was not engaging with the question. She was seeking to be relevant to the question.

The SPEAKER: Order! The minister was being relevant to the question that was asked. I cannot direct the minister how to answer the question.

Ms THOMAS: Thank you very much, Speaker. I welcome the opportunity to clarify that, frankly, I will not engage with the politics of those on the other side that is inherent in all of their questioning on this very issue. I am focused on putting patients at the centre of all that I do. We as a government are working to drive down the planned surgery waitlist. We are increasing the capacity in the system so that we can deliver even more planned surgeries.

What the member on the other side has done here in this question is make a whole range of inferences that have no basis in fact. I will repeat that there are a range of reasons why people may no longer be on the waitlist, and one of the most common ones is that the issue has resolved itself. Our clinicians are actively managing those waitlists every day, and they treat everyone according to their acuity. I might point out that when it comes to category 1 surgeries almost 100 per cent are delivered within the 30 days, which is the clinical guideline for those who are sickest and needing their surgery.

Ms Kealy: On a point of order, Speaker, on relevance, this is a very narrow question. How many Victorians have died waiting for elective surgery in Victoria? Why won’t the minister answer this question? Why is she hiding information from Victorians?

The SPEAKER: Order! Member for Lowan, a point of order is not an opportunity to re-ask the question. I have already said that the minister is being relevant to the question that was asked.

Ms KEALY (Lowan) (14:35): Can the minister advise how many Victorians over the past year have been forced to go interstate to complete their necessary elective surgery because Victoria’s health system is in crisis?

Ms THOMAS (Macedon—Minister for Health, Minister for Ambulance Services) (14:35): I will make this point: health systems around our nation are experiencing exactly the same pressures, and I can tell you that my Liberal colleague in New South Wales is sharing the same experiences as we are here in Victoria. We are all working as health ministers together to address the issues and the concerns of our waitlist. We have a plan. We are implementing that plan. We are hiring the workers. We are building the hospitals. We are purchasing additional beds. Only our side of politics, our government, can be trusted to deliver the healthcare services, the healthcare workers and the health infrastructure that Victorians need and deserve.