MISMANAGEMENT WREAKS HAVOC

I am alarmed that ongoing mismanagement of our health system has continued to wreak havoc on the lives of Queenslanders.

Frustrated doctors, nurses and paramedics continue to highlight serious and dangerous issues within the Queensland health system. So much for being open and honest with us as the Palaszczuk Government has tried to delay the release of, or hide, information altogether.

We now know that from January 2021 to April 2022 at least 20 people died either waiting for an ambulance, in the back of a delayed ambulance, or on a hospital ramp.

Nine cases are before the coroner or health ombudsman.

Ambulance ramping has reached 45 percent – the worst in Australia.

We know three babies died and many women were unable to have children due to botched surgeries at the Mackay Base Hospital.

The Government closed the window for compensation for these women on the same day the shocking report exposing this was released.

They have since been forced to extend this window.

The incompetent record continues. There are 12 investigations currently underway into Caboolture Hospital, but neither the Premier, nor the Health Minister, will tell us what is being investigated.

And despite announcements of increased funding, one in five Queensland hospitals cut their bed numbers in the middle of the health crisis.

Locally the longest wait at the Townsville Hospital Emergency Department was over five and a half hours in June, and, the longest wait time for an ambulance was 8.8 hours in June.

Meanwhile the Australian Medical Association, Queensland, has told the State Government to stop blaming COVID for the Queensland Health Crisis.

The State Government’s failure to properly plan over the past seven years has run our health system into the ground.

The doctors, nurses, allied health, and ambulance staff who work tirelessly trying to keep the system running deserve better.

Our local MPS are not fighting to improve local health services.

It’s becoming increasingly clear they care more about protecting their own jobs instead of protecting your family.

The only promise they have is a promise to build hospitals in seven years time. Well, this is not good enough.

We need to improve triaging when an ambulance is called and when a patient arrives at hospital. We need better resources to improve the number of operational beds, and we need to empower doctors and nurses on the front line to make decisions to improve patient care.

The Australian Medical Association Queensland is also for these changes to be made, so let’s just do it please!

LAURA SINCLAIR,

Pimlico.