CALLS FOR HUB CLARITY

Medical experts hit out at Palaszczuk over quarantine plans

QUEENSLAND medical experts are demanding answers on how Toowoomba’s quarantine hub will operate, raising concerns about the city’s ability to handle a potential Covid outbreak and the decision to fly patients back to Brisbane.

QUEENSLAND medical experts are concerned about Toowoomba’s ability to deal with a Covid outbreak, and have called for clarity around the new quarantine hub.

AMA Queensland president professor Chris Perry said while the Toowoomba Hospital could manage Covid cases with proper resourcing, it would “struggle to deal with a major outbreak”.

“We can’t afford to outsource our quarantine issues to regional areas without providing those areas with adequate resources,” he said.

“Toowoomba Hospital is a very good facility and could manage Covid cases with the proper resourcing, but it is already at capacity and would struggle to deal with a major outbreak.”

Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said the Wellcamp facility would have a separate area to deal with Covid-positive patients, similar to the process at Howard Springs in the Northern Territory.

Patients in a serious condition would be transported via road or air to Brisbane.

Prof Perry said the idea to fly patients was risky and resource-intensive.

“Aeromedical retrieval magnifies the risk of spreading Covid to the health care workforce,” Prof Perry said.

“Helicopters have to be decontaminated and jet travel involves an extra ambulance trip from the airport, creating more potential for infection.”

AMA Council of Rural Doctors chair Dr Marco Giuseppin said he had concerns about where the workforce would come from.

“Regional areas already struggle at the best of times to attract suitably trained and experienced health workers,” Dr Giuseppin said.

Mayor Paul Antonio said a quarantine hub in the region should provide more leverage to fast-track a new hospital.