Livingstone Mayor Adam Belot pushes for more services for Yeppoon Hospital

A battered and bruised Central Qld mayor witnessed a lack of services at his hospital firsthand when he needed it most, and decided to do something about it - right from his hospital bed. WATCH

Livingstone Shire Council Mayor Adam Belot has witnessed the service constraints at Yeppoon Hospital firsthand after he suffered a dislocated shoulder while surfing.

In between inhaling laughing gas for his painful injury, Cr Belot explains in a video posted to his Facebook on March 2 that “he had a bit of an incident” and he had to wait two hours to be able to be x-rayed.
“I’m needing an x-ray to determine (whether) I can get my dislocation put back in,” he said.

“But unfortunately, there’s no ability to do that here at Yeppoon Hospital at this time.

Mayor Adam Belot is pushing for more services at Yeppoon Hospital. Photo: Chris Ison / The Morning Bulletin

“I reckon we need more services at Yeppoon Hospital - not for me, but our community’s growing and we’re a great place - we’re the best place on the east coast of Queensland.”

The Yeppoon Hospital, also known as the Capricorn Coast Hospital and Health Service, was first established in 2010.

When this publication asked Health Minister Tim Nicholls’ office whether the government would increase the availability of services at Yeppoon Hospital and what funding had been allocated to Yeppoon Hospital or other Central Queensland hospitals in recent years, a response from the Central Queensland Hospital and Health Service chief executive was provided.

Health Minister Tim Nicholls’ referred questions about funding to Central Queensland Hospital and Health Service. Photo: Steve Pohlner

CQHHS chief executive Ms Lisa Blackler said the Yeppoon and Rockhampton hospitals worked closely together.

“Capricorn Coast Hospital is a busy service that works in close collaboration with Rockhampton Hospital,” he said.

“Patients with serious injuries are transferred to Rockhampton as required, based on decisions made by the treating doctors and nurses.

“The hospital provides medical imaging services routinely from Monday to Friday, and reduced hours over weekends and public holidays.

“Patient care is always our top priority and urgent cases are sent to Rockhampton as required.”

Patients requiring x-rays at certain times of a Sunday must go to Rockhampton Hospital, according to Mayor Adam Belot.

Locals rallied behind the popular mayor as he advocated in his battered state, posting that it was a problem each weekend when people played sports and one mother forced to take her daughter to Rockhampton described the hospital as “underdeveloped”.

Others posted about waiting hours to be seen, only to be taken by ambulance to Rockhampton Hospital.

Rockhampton Hospital itself was recently described as a ‘war zone’, where ramping, mental health and dementia patients cause excessive strain.
Plans for upgrading the Rockhampton Hospital are currently nearing completion.