❓ Ms Mettam questions the Minister for Health about under-resourcing at Wyndham Hospital and unusable isolation equipment at Geraldton Health Campus, given the time to prepare for COVID. The Minister defends the government's handling of the pandemic and criticises the questioning.
AnsweredQoN 653Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
CORONAVIRUS — REGIONAL HEALTH SERVICES
653. Ms L. METTAM to the Minister for Health:
I
refer to reports of the drastically under-resourced Wyndham Hospital, where
staff have been rostered on for more than 110 hours a fortnight, and
that the Safespear portable isolation equipment at Geraldton Health Campus is
unusable, as revealed in the other place. Given that the minister has had more
than 18 months to prepare regional health services across Western Australia for
COVID, why do these dangerous conditions persist?
653. Ms L. METTAM to the Minister for Health:
I
refer to reports of the drastically under-resourced Wyndham Hospital, where
staff have been rostered on for more than 110 hours a fortnight, and
that the Safespear portable isolation equipment at Geraldton Health Campus is
unusable, as revealed in the other place. Given that the minister has had more
than 18 months to prepare regional health services across Western Australia for
COVID, why do these dangerous conditions persist?
AnswerView source ↗
I
would like to begin, on behalf of the member for Roe, by acknowledging Dr Livingston
in the Speaker's gallery today, and wish him all the very best
for the awards. I hope that he comes home a winner, but we are all very
confident.
We covered this issue in some
detail this morning in response to the member's grievance, and I am not
quite sure why she has come back to seek further information. I am unsure of
the connection between the Safespear negative pressure room add-ons at
Geraldton Health Campus and the situation with staffing at Wyndham Hospital.
Suffice to say, over the last 20 months we have worked very hard in Health to
make sure that we keep Western Australians safe and that we have a health
system that continues to respond to the changing and dynamic situation we have
in the fight against COVID-19, both with the
surge in demand we are experiencing at the moment, like all other health systems, and the impact of a constrained workforce as a result of the borders.
I
am very proud of the work that has been done. We continue to have an
outstanding health system that has guided the government through one of the
most internationally recognised and successful campaigns against the COVID-19
pandemic. I am not quite sure why the member sees fit to continue to undermine
people's confidence in that system . I would have thought that she would join us in acknowledging these
difficulties and the great work that the department , doctors, nurses and
allied health and support staff are doing to take us through this difficult
period.
would like to begin, on behalf of the member for Roe, by acknowledging Dr Livingston
in the Speaker's gallery today, and wish him all the very best
for the awards. I hope that he comes home a winner, but we are all very
confident.
We covered this issue in some
detail this morning in response to the member's grievance, and I am not
quite sure why she has come back to seek further information. I am unsure of
the connection between the Safespear negative pressure room add-ons at
Geraldton Health Campus and the situation with staffing at Wyndham Hospital.
Suffice to say, over the last 20 months we have worked very hard in Health to
make sure that we keep Western Australians safe and that we have a health
system that continues to respond to the changing and dynamic situation we have
in the fight against COVID-19, both with the
surge in demand we are experiencing at the moment, like all other health systems, and the impact of a constrained workforce as a result of the borders.
I
am very proud of the work that has been done. We continue to have an
outstanding health system that has guided the government through one of the
most internationally recognised and successful campaigns against the COVID-19
pandemic. I am not quite sure why the member sees fit to continue to undermine
people's confidence in that system . I would have thought that she would join us in acknowledging these
difficulties and the great work that the department , doctors, nurses and
allied health and support staff are doing to take us through this difficult
period.
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