‘No money, no plan, no solutions’: State urged to dip into $2b fund to save ailing health system

Health experts want the Palaszczuk government to fast track funding from its $2 billion hospital fund amid ongoing pressures in the health system.

Health experts are calling for the Palaszczuk government to fast track funding from its $2 billion hospital fund that was announced almost a year ago amid ongoing pressures in the health system.

Just 17 per cent – or $339 million – was allocated at last year’s budget with no other funding earmarked over the forward estimates.

No further funding has been allocated since then with a government spokesman this week saying major infrastructure projects in the health system were “particularly complex” and required detailed planning and long lead times.

“The government will announce further upgrades and expansions of public hospitals at the appropriate time,” he said.

“We are already building three new hospitals and seven new satellite hospitals as well as employing more doctors, more nurses and more paramedics.”

AMAQ President Chris Perry. Photo: Attila Csaszar

But Australian Medical Association Queensland President Chris Perry said the money needed to be fast tracked.

“Now more than ever we need action to tackle the challenges facing our health system – ramping, bed blockage, emergency department wait times and workforce shortages,” he said.

It follows revelations this week that Queensland had recorded its fourth highest number of Triple-0 calls in a day and that police were sitting ramped outside hospitals minding mental health patients.

Ambulances ‘ramped’ at the Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital last week. Picture: Liam Kidston.

Queensland Nurses and Midwives’ Union secretary Beth Mohle said she also believed the funding needed to be fast tracked.

But she said there needed to be more than capital investment.

“Where are you going to get the workforce from to staff them (services)?” she said.

“A critical element to any capital program is ensuring that we have the staffing to safely open any services.

“Our workforce shortage right now is the thing that is keeping me awake at night.”

QNMU secretary Beth Mohle. Photo: Liam Kidston.

Ms Mohle said the government needed to invest in community-based models of care and that there needed to be national workforce planning which hadn’t occurred since 2015.

Opposition Leader David Crisafulli claimed there was “no money, no plan and no solutions from the state government to fix the health system.”

Of the $339 million allocated last year, $42 million is being spent on a new day surgery in Toowoomba, while $120 million will be shared among the 16 hospital and health services for capital works over two years.

A further $177 million will be spent on building the Mater Public Hospital in Springfield which is set to open in 2024.

At the time, Treasurer Cameron Dick said the government was provisioning $2 billion for the fund to bring forward projects as they were ready to go.