Question Time: Interstate, foreign health workers lured by $70k offer

Hundreds of interstate and international health workers are lining up to boost Queensland’s alarmingly understaffed sector in response to the state government’s cash incentive. SEE HOW QUESTION TIME PLAYED OUT

Hundreds of interstate and international health workers are lining up to boost Queensland’s alarmingly understaffed sector in response to the state government’s cash incentive.

Two weeks after Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk revealed a generous lure of up to $70,000 to join the state’s health workforce, 680 people have already registered their interest.

Of those, 340 are doctors or health workers from other states, more than 200 are Queenslanders interested in moving to the regions and more than 130 are from overseas.

The state of the health system is the hot topic in parliament this morning, with both Ms Palaszczuk and Health  Minister Shannon Fentiman fending off attacks from the Opposition. 

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The flood of interest will be a welcome relief for the state government given the workforce shortage has been blamed by industry experts for a suite of the health sector’s notorious issues, including ambulance ramping, emergency department wait times, surgery wait times, and reduced maternity services.

“This early data shows what we already know – Queensland is a great place to live and work,” Ms Palaszczuk told Parliament on Wednesday morning.

Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk during Question Time. File picture: NCA NewsWre/Glenn Campbell

“This is all part of our government’s commitment to delivering more frontline health workers right across Queensland, especially in the regions.”

As part of the Workforce Attraction Incentive Transfer Scheme, health professionals will be given a larger pool of cash if they move to remote and regional communities.

Interstate and international applicants who move to Queensland, including Brisbane, will be given $10,000 when they begin their placement and another $10,000 after 12 months.

But practitioners who move to a rural or remote location will also receive $25,000 after three months, and a further $25,000 after a year.

Regions eligible for the cash incentive include Bowen, Torres Strait, Mareeba, Atherton, Emerald, Longreach, Charleville, Blackall, Roma, Mount Isa and Cloncurry.

Health workers can choose from more than 2400 communities across the state but must commit for at least one year, with the offer available for doctors, nurses, midwives, allied health professionals and dentists.

Queensland’s new Health Minister Shannon Fentiman. Picture: NCA NewsWre/Glenn Campbell

Health Minister Shannon Fentiman said there was “huge work” under way in the department to create a workforce strategy.

“We need to be planning for the next 10 years about getting more nurses, more midwives, more doctors, more wardies (and) more people that work in health administration here to Queensland,” she said on Tuesday.

“We need to be making sure we’re doing everything we can to attract them.”

Australian Medical Association Queensland has repeatedly urged the state government to boost its workforce, which President Maria Boulton previously told The Courier-Mail was a critical driving force to repair the lack of available beds in hospitals.

This issue in turn clogs emergency departments and leaves patients waiting in ambulances for beds to become available.

“If there’s not enough workforce to open up beds, they’ll close the beds,” she said.