Far North Queensland kids face life-threatening delays as support services face cuts despite 300-day cardiac waitlists

Despite heart disease being the leading killer in remote Australia, Far North Queensland families have been left out of the state budget, forcing a national charity to consider cutting lifesaving support services. Find out more here.

Bentley Park toddler Colton Hughes-Hodges was born with the heart defect Tetralogy of Fallot, leaving a hole in his heart along with narrow valves and arteries. His mother, Keeley Gear, is advocating for additional pediatric cardiology services in Far North Queensland, so that Colton and children like him do not need to travel to Townsville or Brisbane to receive specialist care. Picture: Brendan Radke

Far North Queensland families have been left out of the state budget despite heart disease being the leading cause of death in remote areas of Australia.

Families are facing a double blow after the 2025-26 budget did not include funding for HeartKids’ congenital heart disease and rheumatic heart disease support services.

The snub has forced the charity to consider cutting vital services.

HeartKids chief executive Marcus Sandmann said the funding rejection would have devastating consequences.

“Under this budget, children and families impacted by COD and RHD will continue to miss out on critical health and support services in FNQ,” he said.

Bentley Park toddler Colton Hughes-Hodges was born with a Tetralogy of Fallot heart defect, leaving a hole in his heart along with narrow valves and arteries. His mother, Keeley Gear, is advocating for additional paediatric cardiology services in Far North Queensland, so that Colton and children like him do not need to travel to Townsville or Brisbane to receive specialist care. Picture: Brendan Radke

“Families are currently waiting up to 12 months for appointments due to the incredibly limited paediatric cardiology care available.”

Mr Sandmann said the charity sees first-hand the anguish and trauma families go through with the situation forcing an impossible choice on families.

“Ignoring this significant unmet need will lead to a further decline in heart health in the region and increase the number of emergency transfers to Brisbane at cost to Queenslanders,” he said.

“We’ve seen families choosing to move from regional to metro areas just to seek better care for their children,

“Knowing heart disease is the leading cause of death in remote areas in Australia, especially Indigenous communities, more needs to be done.”

Member for Hill Shane Knuth accused Health Minister Tim Nicholls of inaction on a solution to a second cardiologist for Cairns kids. Picture: NewsWire/Dan Peled

The funding snub has prompted fierce criticism from Member for Hill Shane Knuth, who recently questioned Health Minister Tim Nicholls in parliament about the 300-day waitlist affecting more than 250 Far North Queensland children.

“They care about whether their child will live or die waiting for treatment,” he said.

“We need to stop shifting the blame and start shifting the resources, these are real families, real kids and real consequences.”

Mr Knuth said it was disgraceful FNQ families are not getting basic care.

“It’s disgraceful that in 2025, Far North Queensland parents are still pleading for basic access to lifesaving paediatric cardiology services,” he said.

HeartKids chief officer, Marcus Sandmann, said the situation was dire. Picture: Supplied.

Dr Ben Reeves is the only specialist covering all of Far North Queensland, including outreach clinics in The Cape, Torres Strait and remote Indigenous communities, where rates of rheumatic heart disease in children are among the highest nationally. Picture: Stewart McLean

The comments come after Malanda mother Tegan Catalano spoke out about her four-year-old daughter Violet being forced to wait nearly four months for a critical heart check-up with Dr Ben Reeves, the sole kids cardiologist in Cairns.

Additionally, Juliana O’Neill revealed her four-year-old son Levi’s condition deteriorated while waiting for care in Cairns, and 23-year-old Keely Gear said similar delays had affected her two-year-old son Colton.

Health Minister Tim Nicholls. Picture: Lachie Millard

Dr Reeves divides his time between Cairns Hospital and outreach clinics across Cape York and the Torres Strait.

He is supported by the Queensland Children’s Hospital in Brisbane.

Mr Nicholls said Queensland Health was working with Cairns and Hinterland Hospital and Health Service on a business case for a “strengthened networked service approach” to paediatric cardiology delivery.

“There is a current shortage of paediatric cardiologists in Australia, particularly in regional and rural areas,” Mr Nicholls said.

“I understand the CHHHS undertakes regular service planning to ensure services are developed in a sustainable way and prioritised according to health needs.”

Violet Catalano, 4, is a patient of Dr Ben Reeves and sees him regularly for ongoing heart issues. Picture: Brendan Radke

Cairns Hospital chief executive Leena Singh previously confirmed RHD was 10 times more prevalent in Far North Queensland than the rest of the state, and more than 30 times more prevalent for children in the region.

In 2024, about 700 pediatric cardiology services were delivered at CHHHS.

Originally published as Far North Queensland kids face life-threatening delays as support services face cuts despite 300-day cardiac waitlists