Wednesday, 22 March 2023

Surgical robot funding

Georgie CROZIER (Southern Metropolitan) (17:54): (136) My adjournment matter this evening is for the attention of the Minister for Health, and it is in relation to funding of urgent and necessary robotic technology in public hospitals. At the moment there are 16 or 17 private hospitals that have got robots in them who are assisting in the fantastic work that they do in getting patients treatment –

David Davis interjected.

Georgie CROZIER: Very good clinical outcomes, Mr Davis, because often the length of stay is reduced from five days to one day. There are less invasive treatments. There is less blood loss. The recovery is much quicker. Of course what we have got in the public system is an ideological block from this Labor government and the Department of Health to put robots in our public health services. We have got a couple. We have got one in Peter Mac and the Royal Melbourne and one in Barwon Health. There is one in Ballarat, but I do not think it is being used, because no-one has been trained to use it, so I do not know how well it is going. But I do notice that St John of God in Bendigo last week were making a great fanfare about the fact that they have put a robot in there, and they are looking forward to starting orthopaedic surgery up in Bendigo and having great ability to service that community with robotic surgery and using the technology.

I have talked about this at length. We had a policy that we took to the electorate last year. The Minister for Health ridiculed it and said we were going to knock off staff and put in robots. I mean, it was the most ludicrous and ridiculous statement she made. She just looked an absolute idiot.

A member: A fool.

Georgie CROZIER: A fool, with a silly statement like that. Surgeons who I have met with right around the state say it has to happen. There is an inequity of access for public patients, particularly in women’s health. President, you will be interested in this. The Austin and the Olivia Newton-John centre need robotic technology to assist with cancer surgeries, particularly in women’s health around gynaecological cancers and men’s health with prostatic cancers. It has tremendous outcomes, as has been previously said. So the action I seek is for the Andrews government to prioritise in this upcoming budget robotic technology and surgery and resourcing for training or to commit to it and prioritise this as an urgent need that will assist with reducing waitlist numbers and will have better outcomes for Victorian patients, and there will be a greater equity of access to this new technology that is used right around the world.