New AMAQ president vows to push for change amid ramping crisis

The new president of the Australian Medical Association Queensland says she will push the government to listen to frontline doctors who have sensible, real-world solutions to fix hospital ramping and the state’s health crisis.

THE newly elected president of the Australian Medical Association Queensland vows to work tirelessly to stop the “blame game” over the state’s health crisis and encourage the government to listen to frontline doctors who have sensible solutions to ease hospital ramping.

Dr Maria Boulton was appointed the chief of the state’s peak medical body on Friday night and the no-nonsense, outspoken Brisbane general practitioner says she is match-fit to take on the role at the height of unprecedented challenges.

Dr Boulton is the ninth woman to hold the role in the association’s 128-year history.

Hervey Bay GP Dr Nick Yim has been elected as vice president.

“I am ready to speak up on behalf of family doctors. It is through the goodwill of GPs that the state has achieved what it has during the pandemic and it is shortsighted not to resource family practice at the heart of the community,” Dr Boulton said.

“I haven’t met a GP who was not disappointed by the words of the Deputy Premier Steven Miles when he said that GPs were contributing to the state’s ambulance ramping.

“Also, the lack of communication to GPs when the government announced the free flu shots for Queenslanders was a let-down. I hope to work towards creating better collaboration that involves those on the ground,” she said.

“While the past two years have been very much about the pandemic, Covid has just further exposed the precarious situation our healthcare system is in.

“Our hospitals are over capacity and primary care is woefully underfunded.

“Overworked, burnt out doctors in training are no longer receiving as many meaningful educational opportunities or training.

Dr Maria Boulton is the new president of the Australian Medical Assocation Queensland.

“Medicare rebates have not kept up with the cost of providing the healthcare that GPs and other private specialists deliver every day,” she said.

The mother of two said that her priority is the patients.

“They don’t want to hear the blame game. They don’t care if something is a federal or state matter they just want it fixed,” Dr Boulton said.

The AMAQ Ramping Roundtable is pushing for an investment in more beds, to ensure hospitals run at less than 90 per cent occupancy and a way to access hospital care without going through emergency departments.

Dr Boulton succeeds Professor Chris Perry and Dr Yim succeeds Dr Bav Manoharan.

Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk again insisted on Friday that Queensland’s ambulance ramping pressures were not unique to the Sunshine State.

It follows revelations this week that more than 40 per cent of patients were ramped with paramedics at hospitals during the past quarter, despite emergency department presentations falling by nine per cent.

Ms Palaszczuk defended the figures, pointing to the Omicron wave during the March quarter – describing the situation as “the likes of which we have never seen in our state”.

“We’re looking at these issues in great detail,” the Premier said.

“I want to assure Queenslanders that I am giving this absolutely my focus of my attention, as is my Health Minister and other members of the Cabinet Budget Review Committee.”

Ms Palaszczuk was coy about how much money would be pumped into the health system in the upcoming State Budget, but promised it would be a record spend.

Queensland’s Health’s operating budget increased by 3.4 per cent this financial year to reach $20.885bn.