Health system
Emma KEALY (Lowan) (14:15): My question is to the Minister for Health. The minister has claimed that all category 1 patients are seen within 30 days, yet Sherri from Hoppers Crossing had to wait nine months for a colonoscopy following her positive bowel screen despite being triaged as a category 1 patient. Why is the minister claiming that 100 per cent of urgent category 1 patients are being seen within 30 days when Sherri’s case clearly shows that this is not true?
Mary-Anne THOMAS (Macedon – Leader of the House, Minister for Health, Minister for Ambulance Services) (14:15): I thank the member for her question. I am not going to comment on an individual case in this house. However, if the member wishes to share details with me, and of course with the consent of Sherri, then I am happy to follow up her situation. The Allan Labor government has always reported our health data. We have made it public, and we have always made sure that it is available for public scrutiny. The facts of the matter are this: the data, as is reported, shows that all category 1 surgeries have been completed within the clinically recommended time. These are not decisions –
Emma Kealy: On a point of order, Speaker, the standing orders dictate that the minister must be factual. This matter was reported in the Age newspaper and is available on the public record.
The SPEAKER: It is an expectation that members on their feet, no matter what contribution they are making, are factual.
Mary-Anne THOMAS: I rely on the data that is collected by the Victorian health statistics organisation, and as I have said, I am very happy to follow up this case as raised by the member. These categories, by the way, are not determined by politicians or by journalists or indeed, I have to say, by the patients themselves but by their treating clinicians. Treating clinicians determine whether it is category 1, category 2 or category 3. The member for Lowan, as a former healthcare worker, should know herself that these are clinical decisions. I have already indicated in relation to the case that she has raised that I am happy to follow up and get back to her.
Emma KEALY (Lowan) (14:18): How many other patients like Sherri, who are categorised as needing urgent treatment within 30 days, are waiting beyond this clinically recommended time?
Mary-Anne THOMAS (Macedon – Leader of the House, Minister for Health, Minister for Ambulance Services) (14:18): As I have already indicated, the most recent health data that has been released demonstrates that in the last financial year our clinicians, our hardworking surgeons and theatre nurses and hospital staff, delivered a record 212,705 planned surgeries. It has never been achieved before, and this is as a consequence of the hard work of those clinicians. One hundred per cent of our category 1 surgeries were completed within the clinically recommended time –
Emma Kealy: On a point of order, Speaker, again, anyone on their feet is required to be factual. We have got an example available that shows that it is not 100 per cent, and I ask you to invite the minister to be factual in her response.
The SPEAKER: The minister will continue her contribution.
Mary-Anne THOMAS: The data also demonstrates that the time to treat category 2 and category 3 patients continues to reduce. Indeed we saw a reduction of five days for category 2 and 25 days for category 3 patients. So under the Allan Labor government and our record investment the time to wait for surgery is coming down.