Arabic version: أطباء تسمانيا يطالبون بتحقيق مستقل في النظام الصحي

According to ABC News, Tasmania’s Australian Medical Association branch is calling for an independent commission of inquiry into a health system it says remains in “perpetual crisis”. Branch president Meg Creely said a holistic examination was needed to identify system-wide problems and evidence-based solutions.

Dr Creely said pressure in emergency departments, ambulance services and patient waitlists showed why connected issues should not be assessed separately. The call followed the death of a man shortly after he arrived at Royal Hobart Hospital last week; his family drove him to the hospital because no ambulances were available. The health department is investigating the incident.

Health Minister Bridget Archer rejected the proposal, saying a commission of inquiry would cost upwards of $30 million, take years and duplicate existing work, including a Legislative Council inquiry into the Department of Health’s financial and operational performance. The AMA said that inquiry was valuable but narrower than its proposed examination.

More than 9,500 people are on Tasmania’s elective surgery waitlist, with fewer than two-thirds seen on time. Another 78,000 Tasmanians are waiting for outpatient appointments. The average ambulance response time in 2024–25 was 14.9 minutes, while figures provided to ABC in 2025 found no change in response times after a 60-minute patient offload policy was introduced.

The state government is seeking to cut $700 million from the health department through the Treasurer’s Operational Efficiencies program. Dr Creely said Tasmania was spending $10 million a day on health. AMA immediate past president Michael Lumsden-Steel said an inquiry should consider infrastructure needs, arguing Tasmania had pursued piecemeal renovations rather than new hospitals.