Palliative advocacy groups push QLD Premier to uphold her pledge to support end-of-life care

A political campaign has begun to force the Palaszczuk Government to pour more money into the state’s “grossly underfunded and under-resourced” palliative care services.

A political campaign has begun to force the Palaszczuk Government to pour more money into the state’s “grossly underfunded and under-resourced” palliative care services ahead of the state budget.

Less than a week after Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk introduced voluntary assisted dying laws in the parliament, every MP has received a letter calling on them to stand up for “thousands of Queenslanders” who are “dying in unnecessary pain and discomfort every year” by pushing for a massive injection in funding from the Palaszczuk Government.

The letter – signed by the heads of Catholic Health Australia, Mater Group, St Vincent’s Health Australia and Palliative Care Queensland – says an extra $275 million a year is needed to give people a real choice to access palliative care, far more than what has been pledged to date.

A group of advocates for palliative care have urged the Palaszczuk Government to put more money into end-of-life care. Picture: Supplied

“The Palaszczuk Labor Government promised prior to the 2020 state election that it would invest a further $171 million in palliative care services over the next six years – that’s $28 million a year – but organisations on the frontline of providing end-of-life care unanimously agree this sum falls far short of what is required,” it reads.

The signatories thank Ms Palaszczuk for her work in the Covid response, and note she had pledged to take the same approach to protect Queenslanders in her approach to palliative and end-of-life care.

“Sadly, we see little evidence of this to date,” their letter says.

“The truth is that thousands of Queenslanders are dying in unnecessary pain and discomfort every year, despite repeated calls from healthcare providers and other community organisations for more palliative care funding.”

As the government grapples with increasing demand for hospital care, the group said early access to palliative care would reduce the high cost of hospitalisations, shorten the length of hospital stays and reduce the use of intensive care, emergency beds and the pressure on ambulance services.

The letter urges government MPs to use their influence within the Palaszczuk Government to win more funding for palliative care in the upcoming state budget and for opposition and crossbench MPs to keep the pressure on their government to do so.

“Palliative care is a choice that all Queenslanders deserve to have, but too many do not,” it says.