Member for Nanango, Deb Frecklington says the Labor Government’s Minister for Health, Steven Miles, has refused to answer questions about the continued and lengthy delays for the reimbursement of Patient Travel Subsidy Scheme (PTSS) for people in the South Burnett.
Mrs Frecklington said the answer to her Question on Notice* asking why these unacceptable delays keep occurring has fallen on deaf ears.
“The answer from the Minister for Health is simply unacceptable, and actually quite insulting for my community,” Mrs Frecklington said.
“I have been trying to get answers on this issue for nearly a year now, but this out of touch Minister clearly has no regard for the South Burnett and the frustration this is causing people who are waiting too long for their Patient Travel Subsidy reimbursement.
“He hasn’t addressed three out of my five questions, in particular, why patients continue to experience these lengthy delays, and the current wait times to receive a reimbursement.
“In fact, the Minister should be apologising for this debacle, and committing to provide a better service and in the future.
“South Burnett locals ring my office every day to ask why their PTSS are taking so long to be reimbursed. Some have waited up to six months for their payments and this is just simply unacceptable.
“This Labor Government is too busy wasting taxpayers money on renaming hospitals in Brisbane.
“I don’t think the Minister understands that this is not a choice for people from the South Burnett. People must travel at least two hours to see a specialist or undergo surgery, as most specialist services are not available at the Kingaroy Public Hospital.
“The Minister has an obvious disregard for how important these payments are, and how the delay in receiving this reimbursement seriously affects the most vulnerable members of the community, many of whom are pensioners and are undergoing treatment for cancers and other serious conditions.
Question on Notice Response No. 1517 re: Patient Travel Subsidy Scheme
