❓ Ms Mettam questions the Premier about WA's low nurse-to-population ratio, attributing hospital problems to the government. The Premier refutes the claim, citing outdated statistics and WA's unique geographical challenges.
AnsweredQoN 102Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
NURSES AND MIDWIVES — RECRUITMENT
102. Ms L. METTAM to the Premier:
I have a supplementary question.
Given that Western Australia has the lowest number of nurses per 1 000 people
in the country, is it not time that the Premier admitted that the problem with
our hospitals is his government?
102. Ms L. METTAM to the Premier:
I have a supplementary question.
Given that Western Australia has the lowest number of nurses per 1 000 people
in the country, is it not time that the Premier admitted that the problem with
our hospitals is his government?
AnswerView source ↗
I think the member is referring to
some statistics from the Report on government services . As we have
observed on a number of occasions, the ROGS covers a period of time; it was
some 18 months to two years ago. It also does not
compare apples with apples. Western Australia has the largest single health
jurisdiction in the world and we have a widely dispersed population.
That means that the proportion of healthcare workers to patients and other
staffing cohorts is often skewed because a lot of nurses work in regional Western
Australia. Obviously, when we are compared with a jurisdiction such as
Victoria, there are very different outcomes, but we know that we are providing
great health care for Western Australians. Can we do better? Always. Do we have
a plan to continue to improve and make sure that our health system is one of
the best in the world? Absolutely.
some statistics from the Report on government services . As we have
observed on a number of occasions, the ROGS covers a period of time; it was
some 18 months to two years ago. It also does not
compare apples with apples. Western Australia has the largest single health
jurisdiction in the world and we have a widely dispersed population.
That means that the proportion of healthcare workers to patients and other
staffing cohorts is often skewed because a lot of nurses work in regional Western
Australia. Obviously, when we are compared with a jurisdiction such as
Victoria, there are very different outcomes, but we know that we are providing
great health care for Western Australians. Can we do better? Always. Do we have
a plan to continue to improve and make sure that our health system is one of
the best in the world? Absolutely.
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