Member for Girrawheen Meredith Hammat has been named the new Minister for Health as the re-elected Cook Government announces two new health portfolios.
Ms Hammat replaces Amber-Jade Sanderson who has held the health portfolio since December 2021. Ms Sanderson will be moving to the portfolio of Energy and Decarbonisation. Ms Hammat will also take on the Mental Health portfolio.
Ms Hammatt was Secretary of UnionsWA prior to being elected for the first time in 2021, and Assistant Secretary of the Australian Services Union before that.
This is the first time she has held a ministerial position, taking on a notoriously difficult portfolio.
Her appointment comes as the Labor Government creates two new health portfolios: Health Infrastructure and Preventative Health.
However, responsibility for health will be scattered across three ministers and four portfolios.
Member for Perth John Carey will take on the role as Minister for Health Infrastructure, while Member for Wanneroo Sabine Winton becomes Minister for Preventative Health.
In a statement announcing the new portfolios, the State Government said it would “drive new capacity in the health system including the new Women’s and Babies Hospital project and associated works at Osborne Park and Perth Children’s Hospital, Emergency Department upgrades at Royal Perth and Midland, as well as a range of regional hospital commitments”.
“This will be complemented by the new Preventative Health portfolio, to reduce demand in our hospitals over the long term.”
A new portfolio of Aged Care and Seniors will aim to deliver more aged care places in a bid to free up beds in the under-strain hospital system.
Premier Roger Cook said the new portfolios align with further changes to the operation of Government that will be announced in the weeks ahead.
“New portfolios of Preventative Health, Health Infrastructure and Aged Care and Seniors will reduce demand on our hospitals over the long term and ensure Western Australians continue to live in the healthiest state in Australia.”
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AMA(WA) President Dr Michael Page said the new portfolios were a good opportunity to refresh thinking on health policy.
“The responsibilities for health don’t just fall under one minister, and we hope that works well in terms of spreading the load and enabling enough resource to be allocated to health,” he told Medical Forum.
“Ultimately, someone has got to be accountable for bringing our health system into the 21st century and building it out for the next couple of generations of Western Australians, or beyond a single election cycle.”
On Ms Hammat being a first-time minister, Dr Page said it was the nature of politics for ministers to get appointed to portfolios they may have no real-world experience in.
“In the end, the accountability will rest with the Premier as to how the overall health system performs under the new minister.
“We’re looking forward to catching up with the new minister and talking through our priorities for the for the health system of Western Australia.”
The Public Health Association of Australia welcomed the creation of the Health Prevention portfolio.
WA Branch President Ainslie Sartori said: “This is an exciting development, and the association and our fellow public health agencies will work hard to ensure the new Ministerial portfolio makes a real difference to the health of people in WA.
“We’ll continue to press for regular public reporting of progress and an increased investment in prevention, to ensure our WA health system is sustainable and cost effective.”
Major promises
Health formed a major pillar in the Labor Government’s election campaign, with millions in funding promised to improve general practice, public hospitals and patient care.
The party promised $8.2 million for its GP ASK pilot program, which would allow GPs to securely message five medical specialists in paediatrics, immunology, respiratory medicine, spinal surgery and geriatrics to advise on a patient’s care.
It formed part of a wider $254 million health pledge, which includes $104.8m to transform Midland Health Campus’ emergency department, $36.3m to expand the WA Virtual Emergency Department program and $104.4m for Royal Perth Hospital, including a new emergency department.
The party also pledged to expand GPs scope of practice to allow them to diagnose and treat ADHD.
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They will also be able to consult directly with psychiatrists specialising in ADHD as part of the proposed GP ASK pilot program. The program would allow GPs to be advised directly by non-GP specialists over the phone or through secure messaging.
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