AUSTRALIAN MEDICAL ASSOCIATION OF WESTERN AUSTRALIA
—PUBLIC HOSPITAL REPORT CARD
843. Mr
Z.R.F. KIRKUP to the Premier:
I
refer to the report card handed down by the Australian Medical Association of Western
Australia on behalf of 18 young doctors-in-training, which has given
nearly all of Perth's major public hospitals a ''fail''
grade. What is this government doing to address this savage indictment on
culture and morale?
Mr M.
McGOWAN replied:
Our
health system in Western Australia is outstanding. Anyone who has experienced
our health system would know that it is as good as any health system in
the world. We provide outstanding services and facilities from one end of the
state to the other, in the biggest or second biggest self-governing
jurisdiction in the world. Our doctors, nurses, cleaners, cooks and
administrators, whoever it might be in our health department, do a marvellous
job from one end of the state to the other. From memory, the Western Australian
Department of Health—either that or the Western Australian Department
of Education—is actually the biggest workforce west of Melbourne, in
the entire country. The budget itself has increased significantly since this
government has been in office.
I get a lot of feedback from nurses
and doctors across the community, saying that they are extremely happy with the way our health system is performing. They are
very happy with the way the government has supported our health workers
and our health system during an extremely difficult and unprecedented year. The
naysayers are members of the Liberal Party. Their performance and behaviour is
constantly appalling. It is appalling that they undermine everything that
everyone does across the community to ensure we are kept safe and strong. Do
not worry; the Western Australian public knows it.