Exclusive poll reveals lack of faith Queenslanders have in state’s medical system

Exclusive poll reveals Queenslanders have more faith in an LNP government led by David Crisafulli to manage the state’s health system.

Nearly half of Queenslanders are not confident an ambulance would reach them in time if they were having a heart attack and almost a third have experienced waits of more than four hours at an emergency department.

The shocking lack of faith Queenslanders have in the state’s medical system has been laid bare in an explosive new poll, which also revealed nearly half of the respondents have struggled to get a GP appointment in the last three years.

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The exclusive YouGov poll conducted for The Courier-Mail suggested the mounting list of health crises and scandals – including issues with maternity services at Gladstone Hospital and waitlist blow outs – has emerged as a political headache for the Palaszczuk government 18 months out from the next election.

Nearly half of Queenslanders said they were “not that confident” or “not at all confident” an ambulance would reach their home if they were suffering a cardiac arrest.

It revealed Queenslanders had more faith an LNP government led by David Crisafulli would be better at managing hospitals and ambulances, with the support of 26 per cent of respondents compared to 22 per cent who had confidence in the Labor government under Annastacia Palaszczuk.

The state’s preference for the Opposition – which has repeatedly called for Health Minister Yvette D’Ath to be sacked – to govern the critical service is sure to deliver a gut punch to the government, given Labor’s celebrated legacy of managing and prioritising health care.

But it shows the increasing pressure piling on the state government amid ongoing ambulance ramping, bed block in hospitals and soaring specialist surgery waitlists was resonating for voters, as well as recent scandals such as reduced maternity service care in the regions.

Health Minister Yvette D'Ath.

According to the survey, a third of Queenslanders said they had been put on a waiting list for surgery or medical treatment in the last three years and a similar percentage said they had waited more than four hours at an emergency department before being seen by a doctor.

Both disturbing details were consistent with recent revelations 100,000 Queenslanders waited longer than recommended to see a specialist doctor while clogged EDs had forced ambulances to waste nearly 13,000 hours waiting to handover patients to hospitals in January.

According to the exclusive poll, just 12 per cent of Queenslanders said they were “very confident” an ambulance would arrive within 15 minutes if they or a loved one had suffered a heart attack.

But the access to basic care was worse in the state’s regions, where half of respondents said they had experienced difficulty getting an appointment to see a GP in the last three years.

Queensland chief health officer Dr John Gerrard.

Despite the growing list of issues plaguing the sector, the state’s health boss, Dr John Gerrard, told The Courier-Mail earlier this month he “genuinely” had faith in the public system.

The chief health officer acknowledged, however, primary and aged care was under a more “immediate threat” than acute hospital care.

“I do actually have confidence in the public hospital system in Queensland,” Dr Gerrard said.

“You get sick with anything complicated anywhere in this state and we have to be able to provide treatment for you, and by and large it happens.

“It’s invisible, you never see it, you’re not aware of it, it happens seamlessly and thousands of people are treated every day.”

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