Health system
Mr D O’BRIEN (Gippsland South) (14:29): My question is to the Minister for Health. Seventy-four-year-old Bernice Snell from Mirboo North attended Latrobe Regional Hospital on Saturday with leg swelling and pain from a suspected deep vein thrombosis. Bernice had recently had a change of medication and was told to attend the ED immediately if she experienced any pain. After arriving at around 10.00 am with her daughter, due to stretched resources it was more than 6 hours before Bernice was seen by a doctor and blood tests were taken. She was eventually admitted 2 hours later. In the early hours of Sunday morning Bernice had a heart attack and, tragically, died. How is a 74-year-old woman in pain being forced to wait 6 hours for treatment and then tragically losing her life acceptable in this state?
Ms THOMAS (Macedon—Minister for Health, Minister for Ambulance Services) (14:29): I thank the member for his question, and can I express my sadness and condolences to Bernice’s family at what must be a very, very difficult time. Once again, our hospitals and our healthcare system are full of people who have made an exceptional effort over the last 2½ years to deliver the very best health care in the most difficult of circumstances. At every step of the way a person under the care of our health system is being assessed at every point. People are treated when they present to our healthcare services based on their urgency, their acuity and their complexity. These are clinical decisions that are made in the health service in terms of the timeliness of care. Once again, if Bernice’s family want me to look into this further for them, I am very happy to do so.
Mr D O’BRIEN (Gippsland South) (14:31): Bernice was a stalwart of Mirboo North, and her community is devastated by her sudden death. Her family just wants to ensure that a death like Bernice’s does not happen again due to delays in getting treatment at overworked emergency departments. How many more people have to die before the crisis in our health system is acknowledged and finally fixed?
Ms THOMAS (Macedon—Minister for Health, Minister for Ambulance Services) (14:31): Once again I extend my sympathies to Bernice’s family and indeed the community of Mirboo North at what must be a very difficult time. Of course any incident like this is a tragic one, and once again I extend my support to the member. I am happy to look into this further and get more answers if indeed the family feel that that is what they would like to do. I will finally make the point that—
A member interjected.
Ms THOMAS: I need to make this point: people in our health system do not always have good outcomes.
Members interjecting.
Ms THOMAS: No. Our healthcare workers make— (Time expired)