Following increasing pressure on the state’s public health system, AMA Tasmania has called for independent inquiry into Tasmania’s health system. 

The Australian Medical Association (AMA) Tasmania is calling on the Tasmanian government to establish a formal commission of inquiry into the state’s public health system, warning that pressures on patient care, workforce shortages and serious questions about governance and financial management require an independent, system-wide investigation.

“Our health professionals are doing everything they can, but we cannot keep responding to one crisis after another without asking why the same problems persist,” said AMA Tasmania president Meg Creely, who added that the tragic death of a patient following reported delays in ambulance availability, together with sustained pressure across emergency and hospital services, growing waiting lists and recurring emergency responses, had brought the need for independent examination into sharp focus.

“The circumstances of this death must be properly investigated. It also underscores why Tasmania cannot continue treating serious incidents and service pressures as isolated events. We need to examine how the whole health system operates and why the same problems keep recurring,” she continued. 

Creely acknowledged the work of the Legislative Council inquiry into the department’s financial and operational performance, but said Tasmania now needed a broader examination of the structure, performance and long-term sustainability of the entire public health system.

“Tasmania spends approximately A$3.7 billion a year on health, more than A$10 million every day, yet patients wait too long, hospitals remain under enormous pressure, and the state continues to rely heavily on expensive temporary medical staff. In 2024-25, Tasmania spent almost A$105 million on medical locums alone,” Creedy said. 

“This is not simply about spending more. It is about whether we are spending enough, spending wisely and organising the system to deliver the care Tasmanians need,” she added. 

AMA Tasmania is calling for a major independent, expert-led inquiry, adequately resourced over two years, with findings and recommendations reported to the Tasmanian Parliament.