Premier must take responsibility for failure to deliver hospital beds

Annastacia Palaszczuk put essential services at the centre of her re-election bid at the end of 2017. Her failure to deliver new hospital beds as promised during this term is another blow to our already struggling hospital system, writes The Editor.

PREMIER Annastacia Palaszczuk put the delivery of essential services at the centre of her re-election bid at the end of 2017.

She wanted the rail system to run properly, she wanted more teachers in classrooms, improved infrastructure across the state, and sufficient front line first responders from paramedics to firefighters and police.

These bread and butter promises won favour with voters but pride of place in the Labor Party’s suite of commitments was a pledge to provide 320 new, state of the art hospital beds to serve the ever increasing needs of a fast growing state like Queensland.

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Now, some 16 months after that bill of goods was presented to and accepted by the voters, it is now clear these hospital beds are not going to be delivered in this term of government with sometime beyond the next election the earliest possible delivery date.

In fact, reporting in The Courier-Mail today reveals there is no set timeline for when the beds will be in hospitals and available for use by patients.

A shamefaced Health Minister Steven Miles has been forced to admit the grand plan, held up as the feature of Labor’s health policy, is not going to see the light of day until at least 2020 and might not happen before the end of 2023.

With the election due by the end of next year, it will take a herculean effort to get these beds in place and operational in that skinny time frame.

In fact, we understand, health officials have pretty well given up on any thought of meeting a deadline of this term and they are now hoping to make good on the promise by well into the next four year term.

Queensland hospitals like the Princess Alexandra Hospital are at bursting point. Picture: Mark Cranitch

This failure to keep basic promises will leave users of public hospitals in Brisbane’s rapidly expanding northern and southern outer suburbs either having to endure longer waiting times or throw in their lot with the already overstretched facilities such as the Royal Brisbane, Prince Charles and Princess Alexandra hospitals.

This news is a blow to not just the poor suffering public who are already facing long waits – with ambulance ramping becoming more and more commonplace and crisis talks a week ago as hospital across the Brisbane region choked under unmet demand – but also a stain on the reputation of the state.

If you cannot provide essential services such as enough hospital beds and staff to tend to patients you are failing at the most fundamental level.

Health Minister Steven Miles. Picture: AAP/Dan Peled

It was only a week ago that Mr Miles told people in and around Brisbane not to go to hospital unless it was a medical emergency. This is totally unacceptable.

It’s hard to say what the government can do – they haven’t got any money because they are reeling under the weight of interest payments on the state’s ballooning public debt. Perhaps Ms Palaszczuk could stand up and take responsibility for something for a change instead of shrugging and pretending it’s got nothing to do with her.

She shouldn’t blame the federal government – arguing they haven’t provided enough funding for our health system. This is just another way of playing the blame game where the public are the losers. Also, it is not good enough to blame the private health funds. They might not be perfect but they are not stopping the provision of much need hospital beds. This has everything to do with the Premier and it’s past time she took some responsibility.

PROTECTING YOUR KIDS ONLINE

THERE are more dangerous digital back alleys and hidden corners in seemingly harmless internet platforms than people realise.

While the Dark Web is well known and something to be avoided and the evil places that people such as the perpetrator of the Christchurch massacre are fond of are exposed enough to be avoided, people often fail to appreciate the risks that are in plain sight.

A News Corp investigation has shown an alarming number of parents are posting multiple photos of their children on popular social media sites such as Facebook, Instagram and Twitter, not thinking these otherwise innocent images could be recycled by people with evil thought and intent.

As digital expert and mum-of-three Kristy Goodwin says in our report today, many parents are floundering in the cyber world, often leaving their children swimming in a digital stream without sufficient or any adult supervision.

It takes little more than some basic common sense and a “pause before you press send” attitude.

We need more mindfulness about what people put into the public spaces of the internet.

It’s not that important to share every photo you take.

Responsibility for election comment is taken by Sam Weir, corner of Mayne Rd & Campbell St, Bowen Hills, Qld 4006. Printed and published by NEWSQUEENSLAND (ACN 009 661 778). Contact details are available at couriermail.com.au/help/contact-us