Health—Radiation therapy services
439. Mr Adam Hort to the Minister for Health:
I refer to the minister's trip to Canberra to see the Prime Minister and the federal Minister for Health and Ageing last month and her meeting with federal and state health ministers on Friday.
(1) Did she raise the need for funding for local radiation services for cancer patients in the east metropolitan area?
(2) Did she receive a commitment from either the Prime Minister or the federal Minister for Health and Ageing to provide funding for these services?
Ms Meredith Hammat replied:
(1)–(2) I thank the member for the question. There have been a couple of occasions when we have met with the federal health minister and, most notably, we hosted all the health ministers in Western Australia for our health ministers meeting on Friday. I thought what was very significant about that meeting was the fact that every state is reporting the challenges that we have identified here in being able to access appropriate care for older Western Australians and the pressures that is creating in hospital systems right around the country. As we know, there is a large number of older Western Australians in our hospitals today for whom care elsewhere would be most appropriate for them. They are medically cleared for discharge but are not able to get that care. I thought it was very interesting, in fact, that every state was on a unity ticket in sending that message to the federal government.
We are talking to our federal colleagues all the time on a range of issues. Obviously, the provision of appropriate aged care is an important issue. There have been many others as well. One of the things that we are regularly raising is the issue we have talked about—radiation services. I have said in this place before that that is a matter that requires the federal government to act on. We are having ongoing conversations with the federal government about a range of issues that are incredibly important, including this.
440. Mr Adam Hort to the Minister for Health:
I have a supplementary question. The minister was not clear in her answer. Did she receive any specific commitments to fund these services?
Ms Meredith Hammat replied:
If I had a specific commitment to fund these services, we would certainly be announcing that in the usual way.
