Mareeba Hospital $20m upgrade promised by Labor with plans to extend pharmacy scope of practice

The Far North’s largest rural centre will receive $20m in upgrades for its local hospital, with a trial giving local pharmacists power to diganose and treat conditions to be extended under a re-elected Labor government.

Premier Steven Miles and Health Minister Shannon Fentiman hold a press conference at Mareeba Hospital. Pics Adam Head

The Far North’s largest rural centre will receive $20m in upgrades for its local hospital as the health minister announced a trial allowing pharmacists to diagnose conditions without a GP consult under a re-elected Labor government.

Premier Steven Miles, Health Minister Shannon Fentiman and Cook MP Cynthia Lui visited Mareeba Hospital on Thursday where they committed $20m for a refurbishment of the ageing emergency department including 16 new beds and two resuscitation bays.

The funding would also help establish a specialist telehealth facilities which will give Mareeba-based practitioners real-time access to a wider range of services.

“Last year I toured the Mareeba Hospital and I heard what they really need is a much bigger and newer emergency department,” Ms Fentiman said.

Premier Steven Miles and Health Minister Shannon Fentiman hold a press conference at Mareeba Hospital with MP Cynthia Lui. Pics Adam Head

“We are still in a community that has lots of farms, with occasionally accidents where people do need to seek emergency treatment, lifesaving treatment here at the Mareeba Hospital.

“What they told me they really needed was two new resuscitation bays.

“And state of the art telehealth, so that if need be we can get a direct line to specialist clinicians at the Cairns Base Hospital to stabilise patients safely.”

The Premier and the Health Minister also announced, if re-elected, Labor would be making permanent its Pharmacy Scope of Practice Pilots – a scheme trialled to allow chemists to diagnose and medicate 22 specified conditions, without the patient requiring a GP consult.

Premier Steven Miles and Health Minister Shannon Fentiman hold a press conference at Mareeba Hospital. Pics Adam Head

The trial included a “number of” North Queensland pharmacies when it was formally launched in Cairns in April.

“Doesn’t it just make sense to be able to go to your pharmacy in every community, when you need a script, so rather than having to go to a GP,” Ms Fentiman said of extending the scheme.

“We all know and trust our pharmacists, they have to go back to uni to do training to be able to do this work and they’re overseen by a local GP.”

Despite concerns raised by the Australian Medical Association, Ms Fentiman said no issues had been reported during the trial in relation to patients being misdiagnosed by pharmacists.

“These are highly skilled pharmacists, they have to go back to uni for quite some time to be able to work at the top of this scope.”

Originally published as Mareeba Hospital $20m upgrade promised by Labor with plans to extend pharmacy scope of practice