The State Government has ripped more than $400 million out of the health system as a crisis engulfs hospitals and ambulance services across Queensland.
The LNP can reveal hospitals and health services across the state have had tens of millions cut from their funding every year for the past three years.
This year, Metro South has been the worst hit with nearly $17 million cut, followed by the Gold Coast with almost $15 million and the Sunshine Coast with $14 million.
Leader of the Opposition David Crisafulli said the cuts were another blow to frontline health workers and would leave Queenslanders vulnerable.
“Our health system is in crisis and with one hand the State Government is pointing and blaming everyone else, and with the other, it’s taking a knife to the Queensland Health frontline,” he said.
“Our frontline staff are scrambling to hold our hospitals together and are being badly let down by a State Government that is incapable of fixing the culture of Queensland Health.”
The LNP has put solutions on the table including:
1) Data Transparency: Real-time data so patients and health professionals can help make decisions around resourcing and performance.
2) Triaging Improvements: Better resourcing for triaging in emergency departments to ensure the service is fit for purpose.
3) Targeted funding: Investing in more beds instead of fudging the figures by counting chairs in the hospital bed tally.
4) Empowering Frontline Staff: Allowing doctors, nurses and paramedics the power to determine resources in their hospitals, using local expertise.
Mr Crisafulli said the State Government must stop the blame game and focus on fixing the Queensland Health Crisis.
“The State Government’s only plan right now is to blame everyone else while pulling funding from the frontline to prop up a brittle budget,” he said.
“Queenslanders have never needed a quality healthcare system more than they will in 2022.”
Shadow Health Minister Ros Bates said frontline staff were bearing the brunt of the funding cuts.
“It is utterly heartless at a time when frontline workers and patients are crying out for help,” she said.
“As a registered nurse and former hospital administrator, I know how stressful it is for our exhausted frontline staff who aren’t getting the support they need.
“Our dedicated doctors, nurses and paramedics are heroes holding our hospital together during the Queensland Health Crisis.
“Their dedication and professionalism is first-class, but unfortunately they are being badly let down by a State Government that is losing control of the health system.”
Efficiency Dividends 2019 – 2022
| Hospital & Health Services | 2019-20 | 2020-21 | 2021-22 |
| Efficiency Dividends ($) | Efficiency Dividends ($) | Efficiency Dividends ($) | |
| Cairns and Hinterland | 12,229,688 | 6,585,014 | 3,887,728 |
| Children’s Health Queensland | 11,813,284 | 11,397,619 | 5,317,524 |
| Central Queensland | 9,138,697 | 4,751,226 | 4,204,151 |
| Central West | – | – | 790,557 |
| Darling Downs | 5,348,124 | 4,271,766 | 2,295,473 |
| Gold Coast | 28,733,551 | 10,623,711 | 14,830,939 |
| Mackay | 4,803,843 | 3,073,287 | 1,229,826 |
| Metro North | 34,488,217 | 17,344,022 | 12,457,264 |
| Metro South | 45,095,705 | 17,185,761 | 16,849,084 |
| North West | 2,028,278 | 2,420,448 | 1,223,888 |
| South West | – | – | 1,523,353 |
| Sunshine Coast | 21,831,677 | 9,140,368 | 13,961,724 |
| Torres and Cape | – | – | 2,241,205 |
| Townsville | 14,290,818 | 6,732,649 | 6,785,033 |
| Wide Bay | 8,978,754 | 3,971,838 | 4,430,077 |
| West Moreton | 7,322,442 | 5,014,618 | 4,377,808 |
| Total | 206,103,078 | 102,512,327 | 96,405,634 |
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