Half of all hospital upgrades facing major delays or cost blow-outs
Labor attempts to hide failures through RTI process
Alarming internal Queensland Health documents have exposed Queensland’s hospital upgrade program is on alert, with revelations a staggering 30 of 61 hospital upgrade projects have been delayed or are facing major cost blowouts.
The documents, released to the LNP Opposition under Right to Information, expose half of all hospital upgrades are now at risk and have been escalated to code “amber” under Labor’s schedule.
Shockingly, the RTI also reveals Labor has attempted to block information being released about delays and blowouts for election commitments, in a major affront to the public information process.
The news comes as the Queensland Health Crisis continues to worsen under Labor, with the State heaving under the nation’s worst ambulance ramping at 43%, and blowouts to surgery and specialist waitlists.
Critical projects left at risk under Labor include: Caboolture Hospital Stage 1 – 2 year delay; BRRHP & Staff Accommodation Phase 2 – 3 year delay; Nambour General Hospital Redevelopment – 1 year delay; Cairns Mental Health Unit – 2 year delay; Redland Hospital Expansion Stage 1 – 2.5 year delay; BRRHP & Staff Accommodation Phase 1 – 1 year delay; Logan Hospital Expansion Stage 1 – 2 year delay.
Shadow Minister for Health and Ambulance Services Ros Bates said only the LNP had the Right Priorities for Queensland's Future and could deliver these projects on-time and on-budget.
“Only the LNP has the right priorities for Queensland to deliver these projects on-time and on-budget,” Ms Bates said.
“Minister Fentiman has overseen an unfathomable failure, with half of all hospital upgrades now delayed or blown-out.
“It’s clear Labor can’t deliver what they promised, and what’s even worse is they’d prefer to cover-up their failures instead coming clean on what it means for Queenslanders suffering due to Labor’s health crisis.
“Serious questions must be answered about why, in the middle of the Queensland Health Crisis, hospital upgrades have hit a red-light when they should be of paramount priority.
“What’s worse, blatant cover-ups and hijacking Queenslanders’ right to information, simply to hide their embarrassing failures, confirms Labor can’t be trusted to tell the truth.
“They can’t be trusted to deliver on-time and on-budget and now they’ve been caught-out in a cover-up.
“This a government with the wrong priorities, in a constant state of chaos and crisis, that would rather hide the truth than heal the Queensland Health Crisis.
“Only the LNP has the Right Priorities for Queensland’s Future, including easier access to health services.”
