Health emerges as Achilles heel of LNP as ramping continues
The LNP won last year’s state election on a platform of cracking down on youth crime – but in the almost year since, health has emerged as its Achilles heel, writes The Editor.
The LNP won last year’s state election on a platform of cracking down on youth crime – but in the almost year since, health has emerged as its Achilles heel.
Today, we reveal ambulance ramping is the worst on record, with 47.8 per cent of patients waiting for longer than the recommended time frame to be admitted to hospital.
That eclipses the previous record of 45.5 per cent in March last year.
When that figure emerged under former Health Minister Shannon Fentiman’s watch, the LNP was scathing.
“Shannon Fentiman is officially the worst health minister in Queensland history. No health minister has ever recorded a ramping figure this bad,” then-Opposition health spokeswoman Ros Bates said on May 20 last year.
Jarrod Bleijie, now the Deputy Premier, chimed in three days later with: “ I called for Premier Steven Miles to sack Minister Fentiman because I believe she is the worst health minister Queensland has ever had and I again call on the Premier to sack the disgraceful health minister”.
What will they say about their colleague, Tim Nicholls, who now has the new ramping record almost a year into the job?
And how does the health minister plan to turn around those abysmal figures to reach the Crisafulli Government’s election pledge of reducing ramping rates to below 30 per cent by 2028?
He has – as the LNP will no doubt be at pains to point out – inherited a basket case of a department from Labor.
But these shocking new figures need to sound the alarm for the Crisafulli Government to throw its weight behind fixing our beleaguered health system.
Youth crime has – deservedly – been a focus, and the government has had a (small) win with the latest figures showing the number of victims had dropped slightly since they took power.
But to put it plainly – they need to be able to walk and chew gum at the same time. In other words tackle multiple crises at the same time.
There’s been a litany of health issues since the LNP won power including allegations of young mental health patients being abused, the bungled recruitment process for a new chief health officer and claims patients are being treated in corridors in hospital emergency departments.
Our At What Cost campaign has also exposed the challenges being faced by regional Queenslanders who have to travel for vital medical treatment.
Today, we reveal some are having to wait months to be reimbursed – an absolute disgrace – which adds to the insult of only being paid a paltry $70 a night for accommodation.
To his credit, Mr Nicholls has pledged to review the scheme, but not before next year’s State Budget. For many families, that will simply be too late.
As our Bush Summit campaign highlighted, access to health services is one of the top priorities for regional Queenslanders, only marginally behind cost of living and crime.
Regional Queenslanders put the Crisafulli Government in power, they, like all Queenslanders deserve a better health system.
Originally published as Health emerges as Achilles heel of LNP as ramping continues
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