QAO highlights more health waste under Labor’s do-nothing Minister

• Latest Queensland Audit Office report finds Queensland’s Health and Hospital Services have not been managing the costs of high value medical equipment adequately
• Report finds high-value medical equipment has not been through business cases and value for money options are not being adopted
• Labor fails to monitor performance of high value medical equipment, despite 2015 review highlighting issues

A week after the Queensland Auditor handed down damning findings into the state of Hospital and Health Services under Labor, another report has shown a light on a dysfunctional health system.

Shadow Health Minister John-Paul Langbroek said the Queensland Audit Office (QAO) report into purchasing of high value medical equipment found the Health and Hospital Services (HHSs) have not been “managing the costs of high value medical equipment adequately”.

“The lax purchasing arrangements in HHSs are wasting taxpayers’ dollars on expensive equipment costing thousands of dollars that has not been through a business cases or not following through on value for money options,” Mr Langbroek said.

“Labor is failing to adequately monitor and hold to account the Health Department and the Hospital and Health Services.

“Once again Labor’s do-nothing Health Minister Cameron Dick has been found wanting.

“How can we plan for increased demand when money is not being properly managed and expended in the best interests of the community?

"Despite issues of monitoring performance of high value medical equipment being raised through the Hunter Review in 2015, further criticism from the Auditor-General shows not much has been done to improve the situation.

“How many more times does Labor’s Cameron Dick need to be told to start being a minister and sort the system out?”

Key findings of QAO Report

• A lack of comprehensive planning has meant that high value medical equipment has been purchased without due regard to the life cycle cost of the equipment
• There isn’t a single source of reliable information with a complete and accurate picture of high value medical equipment state-wide. This limits the ability of the department’s health planners to effectively plan at a state level for high value medical equipment services now and into the future
• Current funding arrangements will not meet the ever-increasing costs of replacing the fleet commissioned since that time
• HHSs are unable to effectively monitor how well they are using their high value medical equipment