Opposition leader announces Queensland Health Crisis Town Hall for Cooktown

Queensland opposition leader David Crisafulli will be back in Far North Queensland next week as he hosts a health crisis town hall meeting in a cape community beset by recruitment and staff retention problems.

Mothers who face a more than 300km journey to give birth will speak at a health crisis forum in Cooktown on Monday where birthing services have been closed for more than a year.

Opposition Leader David Crisafulli will host a Queensland Health crisis town hall meeting discussing the concerns of the community struggling to keep medical professionals.

Mr Crisafulli will speak with local health professionals and patients at the forum and said he was looking forward to hearing from Cooktown residents on what concerns them most when it comes to their health.

“When we started our town halls we said we’d bring them right across the state, and we’re proud to be coming to Cooktown next week,” Mr Crisafulli said.

Queensland Leader of the Opposition David Crisafulli speaks during Question Time at Parliament House in Brisbane. Picture: Dan Peled / NCA NewsWire

The health service at Cooktown has experienced its share of problems, including staffing troubles and a bungled e-health system.

The failed Electronic Record (RIVeR) system contributed to the loss of medical expertise across Cape York due to flawed software that left health professionals concerned about patient safety and increased workloads that caused some to choose to leave.

Since the closure of birthing services expectant mothers have been forced to travel to Cairns or even Townsville to deliver babies.

Cooktown Deputy Mayor Robyn Holmes said that maternity services were one of the key issues for the town.

“There are definitely concerns about the maternity services which we lost in February 2022 in what was supposed to be a 10 week shutdown that has now been over a year,” Ms Holmes said.

“We have been told that recruitment has been a major issue and overall the number of doctors in the area has not increased for quite some time placing pressure on those that are here with fatigue and work stress.

“It is definitely having an impact on service delivery.”

In response to the oppositions leaders tour to the cape town a spokesperson for Health Minister Shannon Fentiman confirmed a major expansion of Torres and Cape Hospital and Health Service maternal, child and family health services across Cape York is under way.

“It is expected an additional four First nations Health Worker positions will form part of this new team,” the spokesperson said.

“Nationwide, health services have faced significant challenges recruiting staff, but we are using every resource to find suitable candidates.

“We acknowledge the stress expectant mothers, and their families may experience due to the reduced birthing services, and we are committed to recruit and fill vacant clinical positions so we can reinstate a safe and sustainable service for the community.

“A new maternal service, with midwives and child health nurses, will be based in Weipa, to support Napranum and Mapoon.”

Another issue of concern for the council that they plan to raise with Mr Crisafulli is the services available to the growing worker community in Lakeland which is without a medical centre.

“There is talk of even more growth with workers coming into that area with new projects being started in the next 12 months,” Ms Holmes said.

“We could end up with a population almost half the size of Cooktown without dedicated services placing more pressure for the community.”

In February, the Cairns Post reported maternity services were due to resume in the cape town at the end of 2022 before new recruits withdrew, in part, to ongoing tensions between doctors and midwives.

Ongoing blunders by Queensland health also took another victim last month as the Queensland Government’s cabinet reshuffle saw Yvette D’Ath removed from the health ministry returning to her previous role as lawyer general, replaced by Shannon Fentiman.

Health Minister Shannon Fentiman tours the new Caboolture Satellite Hospital, Caboolture. Picture: Liam Kidston

Some hope for the Cooktown services and those elsewhere across the cape has come in the form of an announcement of an expansion Torres and Cape Hospital and Health Service maternal, child and family health services with the appointment of six new clinicians for the region.

But announcements such as this have done little to silence critics across the benches as the opposition leader continues his tour of communities across Queensland.

“We’ve had some wins along the way, including locals finally getting a crucial specialist appointment, or even surgery after years of delays,” Mr Crisafulli said.

“We will take the stories from Cooktown straight to the floor of Parliament House to demand action and change.

“We believe Queenslanders deserve to have a world-class health system no matter where they live and this community has been forgotten in the chaos and crisis of the Palaszczuk Labor Government.

“We’ll be putting our solutions on the table including more resources, better triaging, real-time data and putting doctors and nurses back in charge.

“I can’t wait to listen to this Far North Queensland community and speak with them about improving health care.”

The Health Minister’s office also rejected claims there had been a reduction in beds at the Cooktown Multipurpose Health Service, also claiming they are also working on developing a broader Maternity Care Network that will see greater collaboration and communication across the health service and build a sustainable long-term plan for maternity care throughout the Torres and Cape HHS region.

To attend the Opposition’s Cooktown Queensland Health crisis town hall meeting, which runs from 10am-11am at the Cooktown Shire Hall, Helen Street, Cooktown, on Monday, register at https://www.trybooking.com/CIUWW

Originally published as Opposition leader announces Queensland Health Crisis Town Hall for Cooktown