Wellcamp cash could have fixed mental health, palliative care shortfall: AMAQ

The state’s peak medical group has weighed in on the Wellcamp spend, revealing the several health issues which could have been fixed with $215m.

Mental health and palliative care funding shortfalls could have been fixed had the Palaszczuk government not spent at least $215m on the Wellcamp quarantine facility, the state’s peak medical group has declared.

The Australian Medical Association Queensland has repeatedly lobbied the state government for a $120m injection into palliative care services and just $1.6m to ensure the wellbeing of the health workforce as the system battles with “unprecedented challenges” of hospital ramping and Covid-19 infections.

AMAQ President Maria Boulton has dumped on the government’s decision to fund Wellcamp, declaring the cash could have been used to fix major challenges in the health system.

She said the government had failed to use its June budget to make significant investments in mental health, palliative care and improving the health outcomes of first nations’ people – all while wasting millions on Wellcamp “with little to show”.

AMAQ President Maria Boulton says Wellcamp investment could have been used on mental health and palliative care services. Picture: Richard Walker

“This money would certainly have met significant need we identified in our state budget submission such as more than $120m for dying Queenslanders seeking quality palliative care,” she said.

“This funding could also have been put to better use in closing the gap for the health of our first nations’ peoples as it was particularly disappointing to see no targeted initiatives in this year’s state budget.”

Dr Boulton noted AMAQ had urged the state and federal governments to work together on purpose-built quarantine facilities at the start of the pandemic.

“Unfortunately, it was all too little too late so it is very disappointing to see $220m spent on Wellcamp with little to show,” she said.

Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk this week defended the expenditure and declared the facility was built in a time of uncertainty.

“I don’t know what’s around the corner in one year’s time or two years’ time,” Ms Palaszczuk said on Friday.

“My job is to keep Queenslanders safe, and I’ll stand on my record.”

It comes as an insider within Toowoomba’s health industry said the construction of the Wellcamp quarantine facility had also decimated the city’s health sector – with staff in GPs and hospitals poached by Aspen Medical to work at the facility for between $60 and $90 per hour.

The mothballed Queensland Regional Accommodation Centre at Wellcamp. Picture: Nev Madsen.

They said Toowoomba medical organisations weren’t given the opportunity to bid for the lucrative project despite Wellcamp being built in their backyard.

“We knew before any other tenders had been released that Aspen had already got it,” the source said.

“That was the first thing that disappointed us.”

Administration and nursing staff were then recruited by Aspen to work at the 24-hour quarantine facility, however few would ever come into contact with a patient.

Instead, nurses conducted a daily or weekly phone call with a patient to check their wellbeing.

The Toowoomba health insider slammed the cost of the facility and said the medical industry was still struggling with a lack of staff as a result.

“The waste of money going to a national organisation without consideration for what’s happening here on the ground – that’s taxpayer money which could have been used to open more beds at the Toowoomba hospital,” they said.

“That hospital is on its knees begging for more beds – patients are staying in emergency for three days because there are no beds and ramping for between four to six hours is not unusual.”

Originally published as Wellcamp cash could have fixed mental health, palliative care shortfall: AMAQ