2024-03-01
Dr Darren Briggs | Lead Candidate for Braddon
The Greens have today launched their preventative health plan. Tasmania needs real change to ensure our hospitals give better care, but unless we start making preventative health a major focus, the underlying challenges facing the system will only grow in years ahead.
The Greens will:
- Fight to extend the ‘Healthy Tasmania’ grants program for community based preventative health initiatives to $5 million per year, and fund it beyond 2026.
- Advocate to extend the SmartFood and Move Well Eat Well programs to all public schools, to promote healthy eating and exercise.
- Push to establish a program for free, government-funded, smoking cessation product handouts in GP clinics.
- Fight for a health and wellness App fund.
- Champion the establishment of a Healthy Eating Advisory service in Tasmania, to assist organisations and businesses promote healthier foods and drinks.
“There’s been a lot of headlines about the struggles in Tasmania’s hospitals - and rightly so. The situation is really serious, and the Liberals have basically ignored the problems while they’ve instead focused on building a billion-dollar stadium in Hobart.
“We definitely need to see some big changes to make sure our hospitals can give better care to our community, and the Greens have been pushing for those changes. But unless we make preventative health a priority then we’re going to be fighting a steep uphill battle in the years ahead.
“As a doctor, every day I see patients who are experiencing health issues that could and should be avoided. I do everything I can to help them, but really prevention is the best cure.
“I’m really proud to launch this first set of preventative health policies for the Greens. These are some really important measures that I think will move things in the right direction.
“These aren’t controversial ideas - but politicians don’t focus on them much because they don’t get to put on the high-vis, and because the benefits are not always easy to see immediately.
“The Greens are hoping to bring more attention to preventative health, and I’m looking forward to sharing more policies in this area with the community.”