<?xml version="1.0" encoding="ISO-8859-1"?> <docID>340236</docID> <postdate>2025-03-19 04:30:45</postdate> <headline>Why won’t Barr remove the failing health minister?</headline> <body><p><img class="size-full wp-image-340239" src="https://citynews.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/KUTA-Battle-For-Calvary-Pic-Print-Promo-resized-e1741778513316.jpg" alt="" width="1070" height="714" /></p> <caption>Failing Health Minister Rachel Stephen-Smith, characterised by KEEPING UP THE ACT as the Minister for Declining Health Services.</caption> <p><span class="kicker-line" style="font-weight: 400;">"No doubt Ms Stephen-Smith is trying her best. However, her work has not proven effective. This health minister has had opportunity after opportunity – but the system continues to deteriorate," writes political columnist <strong>MICHAEL MOORE</strong>.</span></p> <p><b>Here we go again! Groundhog Day! In late February, I pointed to this constant reiteration by the health minister that “we are working on it†and things will “get better soonâ€.</b><span style="font-weight: 400;"> </span></p> <p><img class=" wp-image-189506" src="https://citynews.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/012668A8-B3B2-4E1C-A9DC-C3100F6DBD6B.jpeg" alt="" width="270" height="350" /></p> <caption>Michael Moore.</caption> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">She might use different language – but the sentiment is the same.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">And now our leading orthopaedic surgeon, Prof Paul Smith, has tendered his resignation through frustration at failures in the system.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">He has worked in the ACT hospital system for more than a quarter of a century with his job becoming increasingly challenging. He cited the deteriorating environment, particularly over the last six months, as the prime reason for his resignation.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">When will there be an appropriate intervention?</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The chief minister has not taken the health minister to task nor moved her to a less demanding portfolio. But then, he may think he does not have enough talent in his team to be able to find someone who is capable enough to handle the health portfolio effectively.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Before the last election, the Liberals proposed a royal commission into the ACT hospital system. Then they took the same proposal to the most recent election. It is something that ought to be supported by the Greens and the two independents in the Assembly.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The six months that has been the catalyst for Paul Smith is the same six-month period that was cited by Health Minister Rachel Stephen-Smith on January 29.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">At the time she was arguing that an injection of $227.3 million would resolve the issues in the Emergency Department in particular, but across the Canberra Public Hospitals.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">No doubt Ms Stephen-Smith is working hard and trying her best. However, her work has not proven effective, and a much more adept hand is needed to determine the extent of the problems and the actions required for an effective remedy. This health minister has had opportunity after opportunity – but the system continues to deteriorate.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The ACT hospital system has moved under Labor from leading Australia across a wide range of criteria to being amongst the worst. Cutting the finances to the hospitals over the last few years has not helped.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">According to the ABC, Prof Smith has stated “the hospital administration … has actively been engaged in a process of disengagement with clinicians.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">"Every gain we’ve made in terms of achieving quality of service has come at a significant cost in terms of battling with administration to try to get the resources to achieve quality.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“There is an evaporation in the attitude of collaborationâ€. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Who is it that does not understand the importance of the role of specialists in the hospital system? The minister? The administration? With the support of the nursing staff and other professionals, they are the ones with the skills to look after the patients.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The fundamental problem for Prof Smith is “administrative interference in clinician decision-making".</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">He is not alone. According to another orthopaedic surgeon, Dr Sindy Vrancic, there are now around 20 per cent of her colleagues who have tendered their resignations.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">After the resignations became public, the health minister launched a scathing attack on the orthopaedic surgeons suggesting that they are the cause of the problems. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“One of the challenges we’ve had with some craft groupsâ€, she chided, “and this includes orthopaedics – is that they’ve basically been keeping their own list of people they want to see, their patientsâ€.</span></p> <p><i><span style="font-weight: 400;">Oh dear! Orthopaedic surgeons are determining the priority needs of their patients!</span></i></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The Minister added: "That’s not visible to the system, but they’re also not taking into account the rest of the system when they’re making those decisionsâ€.</span></p> <p><i><span style="font-weight: 400;">Oh dear! The orthopaedic surgeons are prioritising their patients over bureaucratic decision making!</span></i></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Then came the usual Stephen-Smith narrative. You know the one. “We are working on it, and all will be well soonâ€. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">In this case “an ‘escalation process’ is already underway†and, therefore, “if a surgeon is concerned that their patient has been bumped from a list inappropriately… they will be able to raise concernsâ€. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">That is, of course, with the bureaucrats who have already overridden their decisions. She added that this system “is already in trainâ€.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">If the chief minister will not act, who will? The ACT Assembly has the numbers to support the concept of a Royal Commission – as proposed by the Liberals. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">How much more deterioration will we see in the hospital system? What will it take to force the hand of the government?</span></p> <p><i><span style="font-weight: 400;">Michael Moore is a former member of the ACT Legislative Assembly and an independent minister for health. He has been a political columnist with “CityNews†since 2006.</span></i></p> <p> </p> </body>