Health Minister, Jo-Ann Miller, says the Newman Government needs to start telling the truth about the state of Queensland’s health system.
“The arrogant LNP Government continues to peddle misleading claims that everything is rosy in the hospital system, but the facts tell a totally different story,” she said.
“After more than two years of funding cuts and mass sackings that have seen more than 4,400 jobs disappear from our health and hospital system the truth is starting to be revealed.”
Mrs Miller said in just the past few days Queenslanders had seen the true human impact of the LNP’s health cuts including:
a cancer patient lying in pain in the Gold Coast University Hospital’s waiting room;
Cairns Hospital move to the crisis mode of ‘code black’ because of insufficient staff and beds to handle demand; and a heart attack patient driven 60km from Wynnum in Brisbane to Ipswich Hospital before an intensive care bed could be found for him.
“The Premier and Health Minister should immediately stop peddling myths about how great the health system is after losing so many dedicated workers.
“Their sole aim is to slash and burn health and hospital services to make them more attractive to sell off to private operators who will put profits before patients.”
Mrs Miller said right-to-information searches by the Queensland Nurses’ Union revealed the loss of more than 4,400 jobs so far across the state included more than 1,650 nursing and midwifery positions and the sacking of 664 other health professionals.
“The Gold Coast Hospital and Health Service alone has seen the Newman Government cut 54 nursing and midwifery positions,” she said.
“It is no wonder services at the GCUH and the Cairns Hospital are stretched and that hospitals in Brisbane were on bypass at the weekend when the heart attack patient needed an ICU bed.
“The only thing the LNP is doing for nurses is to launch another wasteful, taxpayer-funded advertising campaign as a prelude to attacking their paypackets.
“The Minister for Health Cuts and Closures, Lawrence Springborg, recently gave Hospital and Health Services the power to sell off property and sack more staff.
“The 4,400 jobs lost statewide is more than 1,400 more than the Newman Government has admitted and only came to light because of the QNU lodging an RTI application.
“In other words, the Newman Government has not been telling the truth about the damage it is doing to our health and hospital system and it is still not telling the truth,” Mrs Miller said.