Hospital rally warning

Mareeba group in fight to retain services

A RALLY will be called if vital services and a bulk billing clinic are not kept at Mareeba Hospital.

The Save the Mareeba Hospital Group (STMHG) want the $2.3 million that Federal Health Minister Greg Hunt and Member for Kennedy Bob Katter announced to be spent at the hospital, not on private enterprises or other services.

STMHG member Denis McKinley said a public rally would be called in early November if their concerns were not met, in the best interests of the Mareeba-Dimbulah community.

“Right now there is no middle ground and we are being told this is the best model for us, and the community isn’t being consulted,” he said. “The $2.3m needs to stay within the Mareeba Hospital.

“The independent candidates for Cook are the only ones who seem to be on our side and the Mareeba Mayor (Tom Gilmore) and current Member for Cook (Billy Gordon) are sitting on the fence and not supporting us.”

Mr McKinley said he was hoping a state election would be called soon so that something was done about vital services being cut.

KAP candidate for Cook Gordon Rasmussen said Mareeba Hospital, Cairns and Hinterland Hospital and Health Service and North Queensland Primary Health Network (NQPHN) were refusing to meet them and were breaking appointments.

Mr Rasmussen said COAG funding finished tomorrow.

“The $2.3m Bob Katter got, we all thought it would be spent at Mareeba but NQPHN will spend it where they want to,” he said.

“They have given us no undertaking as to where they are going to spend it.”

He said they would march from the carpark between KFC and the Post Office to the Mareeba Hospital.

A date has not yet been confirmed.

NQPHN chief executive officer Robin Moore said NQPHN was working with the Federal Government on receiving the schedule for the $2 million funding.