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Speaker 1: Now as part of the Northern Territory budget, we know

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Speaker 1: the government's announced a record what they say is a

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Speaker 1: record two point three to three billion dollar budget to

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Speaker 1: deliver safe and high quality health services for Territorians. The

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Speaker 1: Minister for Health, the Mental Health and Alcohol Policy Steve Edgington,

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Speaker 1: saying the budget for the Northern Territory Health Department provided

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Speaker 1: an increase of two hundred and seventy three million dollars

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Speaker 1: from two point zero six billion in twenty twenty four.

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Speaker 1: Joining us on the line is doctor Robert Parker, the

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Speaker 1: president of the AMA, the Australian Medical Association here in

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Speaker 1: the Northern Territory. Good morning to you, doctor Parker.

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Speaker 2: Oh okay, it's not much longer. I stepping down the

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Speaker 2: AGM in a week's time.

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Speaker 1: In a week's time, oh well, we will no doubt

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Speaker 1: be talking to the new president, I'm sure, but it's

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Speaker 1: we've appreciated all your time. Now, First off, what did

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Speaker 1: you make of the Northern Territory budget when it comes

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Speaker 1: to what is in it for health?

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Speaker 2: Well, again, it's really good to have there all that

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Speaker 2: extra money, but again it actually reflects real funding. The

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Speaker 2: territory health budget's been underfunded for many years by both

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Speaker 2: sides of politics. And again there was a really unfortunate

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Speaker 2: situation a while back with the the achievement is the

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Speaker 2: scolding marker that then CEO for overspending by two hundred million,

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Speaker 2: but that reflected the fact that that the budget didn't

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Speaker 2: reflect the real need the health services and the territory

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Speaker 2: and Marco's credit he started that it's got some of

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Speaker 2: the Commonwealth about the extra funding that's flowing in. So

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Speaker 2: I mean, I think the budget incorporates an extra funding

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Speaker 2: in the current year and obviously the money that's been

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Speaker 2: promised by the FEDS for the next financial year.

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Speaker 1: And so in terms of some of the areas where

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Speaker 1: we are seeing additional funding, I mean, what are the

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Speaker 1: big wins? Are there any big wins?

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Speaker 2: Well, again, mental health got the extra funding. I mean again,

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Speaker 2: we had the bricks and mortar for the new building,

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Speaker 2: but we didn't have any money for beds or staff.

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Speaker 2: So it's really good to see that we extra money

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Speaker 2: so we can buy some beds and actually have realistic

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Speaker 2: funding for keeping staff from the building.

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Speaker 1: It seems unbelievable, doctor Parker, that we build things but

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Speaker 1: then we don't actually have the money set aside. For

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Speaker 1: you know, to staff those things.

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Speaker 2: That's right anyway, So it's good to see that the

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Speaker 2: government's provided money for that. And you know, the money

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Speaker 2: for primary care is welcome, and again I think that's

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Speaker 2: been pointed out that you know, increased funding for primary

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Speaker 2: care is a very welcome situation. Primary care is the

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Speaker 2: cheapest fool of fear to keep it all the hospital.

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Speaker 2: So hopefully that will produce the pressure on RDH.

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Speaker 1: Doctor Parker, is there anywhere that we're falling short from

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Speaker 1: what you can see?

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Speaker 2: Oh, we're falling short all the time. And I mean,

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Speaker 2: as you'll be aware, you know, the code code frequent,

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Speaker 2: code yellows, even though the current government's a bit reluctant

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Speaker 2: to talk about code yellows. But the hospital, you know,

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Speaker 2: there's the constant pressure on RDH that you and I

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Speaker 2: have talked about over a number of years. It hasn't

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Speaker 2: gone away. So I suppose the extra funding will help

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Speaker 2: the hospital help cope with that presucal degree and certainly

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Speaker 2: you know, the extra money in the primary care well

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Speaker 2: hopefully alleviate by stopping preventable admission or alleviate the pressure.

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Speaker 1: Do you reckon we're still having those code yellows but

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Speaker 1: not publicly saying it, or do you do you think

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Speaker 1: they're not happening at the moment.

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Speaker 2: That's my understanding that we're not allowed to call them

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Speaker 2: as my understanding really, but they're significant pressure, but we're

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Speaker 2: not allowed to call code. That's the understanding.

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Speaker 1: So has that been a directive from your understanding.

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Speaker 2: From the from the understanding, My understanding is yes, but

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Speaker 2: there's been certain pressure. Is not the not the call

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Speaker 2: code yellows when we've actually had a situation which requires

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Speaker 2: a code yellow?

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Speaker 1: Is that like a danger from your perspective, or do

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Speaker 1: you think that you're on the risk of you know,

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Speaker 1: of the of that sort of I don't know, creating

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Speaker 1: any problems when you're actually not prepared to call it

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Speaker 1: or you're telling stuff not too well.

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Speaker 2: Again, the staff at RDHI always cope. We aren't going

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Speaker 2: to pay tribute to all the staff at RDH, whether

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Speaker 2: they be doctors, nurses, ots, cleaners, you know, people in

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Speaker 2: the kitchen will always help CAPE with that. Just I

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Speaker 2: suppose it just adds further pressure when we realize that

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Speaker 2: you probably needs a more formal response.

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Speaker 1: Yeah, I mean that seems crazy to me, Like I

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Speaker 1: think if you if you under pressure and there is

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Speaker 1: a different coding system that might like my understanding is

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Speaker 1: that something that's choos right around Australia, isn't it.

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Speaker 2: That's right? Yeah anyway, Yeah, but the Minister usually has

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Speaker 2: to announce the Coke yellow.

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Speaker 1: Well, we might have to ask about that at some

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Speaker 1: point in time, Dr Parker another just something sort of

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Speaker 1: I guess you know that's been running kind of parallel.

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Speaker 1: I suppose you would say to all the other issues

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Speaker 1: that we're constantly talking about. But we know that there's

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Speaker 1: reports in the Australian newspaper that Health Scopes Board this

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Speaker 1: week have effectively pleaded for bankers to take control of

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Speaker 1: the hospitals, allowing its Brookfield back to directors to walk away.

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Speaker 1: I suppose some listeners are questioning if there should have

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Speaker 1: been funds allocated in the budget as a reserve to

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Speaker 1: bail out the Darwin private hospital if necessary.

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Speaker 2: Yes, I mean it's a significant concern for am a

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Speaker 2: MT and we have been under we have been having

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Speaker 2: continuing discussions with the CEO about a crisis plan for

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Speaker 2: exactly that issue in case something happens. Yes, so that

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Speaker 2: that may have to happen. I mean it's an absolute

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Speaker 2: freaking disaster for help and Australia. What's happened with healthcale

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Speaker 2: And actually this week we had a letter to the

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Speaker 2: Prime Minister suggesting that the Foreign Investment Review Board actually

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Speaker 2: needs to put health on its radar. I mean currently

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Speaker 2: agriculture and media have increased surveillance by the Foreign Investment

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Speaker 2: Review Board because of the potential impact on things, and

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Speaker 2: health basically went under the radar. So following the absolute

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Speaker 2: with Brookfield and healthscape and the impact has had basically

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Speaker 2: potentially transferring a massive cost impulse impost cost from the

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Speaker 2: private of the public sector, the tax players. I think

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Speaker 2: health needs to be I have a much higher surveillance

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Speaker 2: under with a Foreign Investment Review Board that reason.

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Speaker 1: Do you I mean, do you think that we could

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Speaker 1: end up in a situation here where you know, we're

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Speaker 1: the private hospital, the Darwin private hospital, you know like that,

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Speaker 1: I don't know, could it close?

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Speaker 2: Well? The government, I think you'll have to keep it

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Speaker 2: open because of you know, the massive extra pressure on

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Speaker 2: RDH that may be involved getting another party interests such

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Speaker 2: as Ramsey, or it may involve the government having to

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Speaker 2: spend extra money to keep the whole thing going. So yes,

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Speaker 2: it's a it's a situation that we have been in

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Speaker 2: discussion about with the government now for quite a while.

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Speaker 1: Okay, so the AMA is certainly continuing those discussions and

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Speaker 1: will continue to. I mean, like you've touched on, would

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Speaker 1: be a disaster if we wound up in a situation

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Speaker 1: where the dal and private hospital you know where the

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Speaker 1: I don't know, like where the private the private funders

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Speaker 1: stepped away, and the impact that it would have on

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Speaker 1: the Royal Darwin Hospital, I would imagine would be enormous.

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Speaker 2: That's correct, which is why you know, we're very concerned.

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Speaker 2: I suppose the way the way the Department and the

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Speaker 2: government respond to this crisis, which is really not you know,

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Speaker 2: it's not there making unfortunately, it was really a federal

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Speaker 2: responsibility what happened with Brookfield, you know, and the lack

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Speaker 2: of surveillance about the potential impact of what Broxville did.

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Speaker 1: Did you get any response yet from the Prime Minister

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Speaker 1: or did you just write earlier this week Dr Parker.

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Speaker 2: Having any response yet and I'm not expecting one of these.

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Speaker 2: I mean, really it's a treasurer or decision. I mean,

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Speaker 2: the Treasurer controls what happens with the Foreign Investment Review Board,

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Speaker 2: not the Health Minister. So that's why I wrote to

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Speaker 2: the PM rather than the Health Minister, because it really

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Speaker 2: is a treasure responsibility on how the Foreign Investment Review

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Speaker 2: Board opera look.

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Speaker 1: I think it's a very fair fair point to make,

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Speaker 1: and no doubt we'll continue talking about it. But we

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Speaker 1: will talk to you again soon, Dr Parker. Again, we

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Speaker 1: may not talk to you before you before you finish

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Speaker 1: up as the president.

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Speaker 2: It's been eleven years, Katy, and it's been interesting.

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Speaker 1: Oh you would have seen some interesting things over those

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Speaker 1: eleven years.

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Speaker 2: Yes, it's certainly been interesting time and again it's been

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Speaker 2: a great privilege to serve both the medical provision and

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Speaker 2: the public of a character during that time.

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Speaker 1: Well, Doctor Robert Parker, I have always appreciated the time

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Speaker 1: that you give to us on the show. I know

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Speaker 1: that you are a very busy man and really appreciate

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Speaker 1: the time that you take to speak to me and

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Speaker 1: to our listeners. So thank you very much for all

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Speaker 1: the work that you've done.

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Speaker 2: My pleasure, Katy.

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Speaker 1: Thank you