Premier must take over doctors’ crisis from Springborg #qldpol #auspol #smoqld #keepourdoctors
Opposition Leader Annastacia Palaszczuk said now that the Premier is back from overseas, he must immediately sideline his failing Health Minister and fix the doctors’ Workchoices-style contract crisis.
“We have already seen a number of doctors resign thanks to the LNP’s arrogance and incompetence,” Ms Palaszczuk said.
“Queenslanders can’t afford to lose any more highly qualified doctors purely because the Health Minister is too stubborn to listen to the doctors concerns and end this crisis.
“The Premier has been overseas for two weeks and his bumbling Health Minister hasn’t come any closer to resolving this dispute.
“I understand the talks between doctors’ representatives and Queensland Health have been hamstrung by the constraints imposed on the senior departmental officials by the Minister. It is clear the biggest roadblock to resolution is Lawrence Springborg himself.
“It’s time the Premier took this matter out of the hands of Mr Springborg, engaged with the doctors himself and genuinely listened to their concerns, so we can all put an end to this debacle.”
Ms Palaszczuk said mass resignation letters are being sent to doctors this week for their consideration.
“It’s sad it’s come to this, but doctors have been let down so badly by this Premier and the LNP that hundreds of them are now ready to sign this document and resign from the public health system.
“This would signal chaos for our public hospitals. Whole departments could shut down, elective surgery waiting lists will blow out, and it will be almost impossible for Queensland Health to replace them all.
“The Health Minister has made it clear he has no emergency plans in place to replace doctors that resign.
“What would happen at the RBWH, what would happen at the PA, what would happen in our regional centres like Cairns and Mackay if doctors resign en masse?”
“The Premier can’t hide behind the Health Minister any longer. He must stand up and take control of the situation, before his Government effectively forces the resignation of hundreds of doctors and creates bedlam within our public hospital system.”