The Government’s health strategy released today is being labelled a ‘smokescreen for inaction’ by ACT Health Spokesman, Ken Shirley.

“Quite frankly it’s simply 42 pages of drivel put together by a Minister whose key reforms are in a shambles. The document contains no vision for health other than ‘let’s all be healthy’,” he said.

“It’s a waste of time for Annette King to be asking people to attend meetings to discuss this PR document masquerading as a Government strategy. There’s nothing in it for people to discuss,” he said.

“The document does not even attempt to set out how the Government will address the key issues in the public health sector. There is nothing about nursing and doctor shortages, the financial implications of the proposed reforms or how the public health system is to cope with the influx of patients that will come from private hospitals once Government pulls the plug on funding for the private sector,” he said.

“The Government is delaying its backward health reforms because it knows there is massive resistance to them within the health sector. While they are trying to calm the business sector, Labour and the Alliance are also having to come up with a strategy to deal with the huge concern in the public health system over their plans,” said Ken Shirley.

ENDS

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