The Gutwein Government and Health Minister Jeremy Rockliff have once again rejected calls from the Derwent Valley community to expand services at the New Norfolk hospital.
A petition signed by 3,317 residents to introduce nurse practitioners at the New Norfolk hospital to provide after-hours and weekend health care has been rejected by the Gutwein government.
Tasmanians living in regional parts of the state are regularly facing long wait times to access GPs or long drives to access health services in the city.
The pressure on our emergency departments and ambulance paramedics could be eased if the Gutwein Government was willing to make further investments in regional health care close to where people live.
Nurse practitioners can act as the first response for patients who present to local hospitals for minor injuries or for parents who want their children to receive care for a fever and who shouldn't be forced to travel to the city just to be examined.
The government's refusal is dismissive of a big effort by community members like Bill Dermody who has spent the past three years lobbying and collecting signatures in support of adequate local health care for residents in the Derwent Valley.
The health system remains in crisis under Premier Peter Gutwein and Health Minister Jeremy Rockliff and they have no plan to fix it.
Peter Gutwein cannot get the basics right and his government's failure to deliver regional health services has a negative impact on our economy and people's quality of life.
Rebecca White MP
Labor Leader
