ICYMI: I was on ABC Hobart Drive this week talking to Lucy about the Virtual Emergency Departments scheme.
I want to extend my condolences to the family and loved ones of a man who died after being taken to the Royal Hobart Hospital following a reported delay in ambulance dispatch and call on the Health Minister to urgently explain the rollout of Tasmania’s Virtual Emergency Department.
This is a deeply distressing tragedy, and my thoughts are with the man’s family and loved ones at this incredibly difficult time.
This tragedy highlights the serious pressures facing our emergency health system, including ambulance availability and patients waiting in emergency departments.
The Tasmanian Government needs to provide a clear update on the implementation of the Virtual Emergency Department, including when the service would be fully operational, how it would be rolled out and how it would help relieve pressure on emergency departments.
I want to know why this initiative is taking so long and when Tasmanians can expect to see its benefits.
Virtual emergency care has the potential to connect patients and frontline health workers with timely clinical advice, help people receive appropriate care closer to home and reduce avoidable presentations to hospital. This will reduce ambulance ram ping and needs to be prioritised.
But the Government must explain what is happening, what remains to be done and when the service will be available to the people who need it.