Nearly 200 locals shared their stories of a sick system at the LNP’s biggest Queensland Health Crisis Town Hall held in Kingaroy today.
Leader of the Opposition David Crisafulli, Shadow Health Minister Ros Bates and Nanango MP Deb Frecklington heard firsthand experiences with the region’s ailing health services which they’ll take straight to the floor of Parliament House to demand action and change.
Leader of the Opposition David Crisafulli said the huge turnout marked the biggest town hall hosted by the Opposition.
“We wanted to hold the 20th Health Crisis Town Hall in Kingaroy so we could listen and understand how the region is being let down by a sick system,” he said.
“The record number of locals who attended just proves this third term Labor government is losing control of Queensland Health.
“We’re committed to supporting these communities and backing their fight for better healthcare services.”
Mr Crisafulli said the first town hall was held at Mt Gravatt in June last year and was getting bigger at every visit across the state.
“Since then, we’ve travelled across the state and listened to the stories of Queenslanders from Cairns to Mt Isa, Bundaberg, Ipswich and the Gold Coast to name a few,” he said.
“We’ve had some wins along the way, including locals finally getting a crucial specialist appointment, or even surgery after years of delays.
“We’ll keep hosting these town halls across the state so we can hear firsthand these stories and demand action from the government.”
Shadow Health Minister Ros Bates said the LNP was committed to improving the system and had put solutions on the table including more beds, better triage and giving power back to the frontline staff to make better decisions to improve patient care.
Ms Bates said doctors, nurses, paramedics, and allied healthcare workers were exhausted and deserved more respect.
“As a nurse and former hospital administrator, I know how stressful it can get for the staff who are doing everything they can to keep our hospitals running,’ Ms Bates said.
“The embattled Health Minister doesn’t have a plan to fix it.
“What has this State Government been doing for the last seven years to improve our hospitals?”
Nanango MP Deb Frecklington said the local health system had been struggling for years with staff shortages and the withdrawal of critical healthcare services.
“Today multiple nurses spoke out and revealed they had walked away from their careers because they felt undervalued,” she said.
“A father told us that his seven-year-old son’s surgery was cancelled at the last minute.
“A mother waited with her son to be seen for seven hours in the emergency department.
“These problems existed long before Covid and the people of Kingaroy and neighbouring areas just want the State Government to fix it.
“The entire region is suffering because of the lack of health services. Labor simply does not have a plan to fix regional health.
“We need more investment in mental health, palliative care and paediatric services.
Ms Frecklington said she would keep up the fight for better health care for all Queenslanders.
“Together, I know we can make a difference to fix this ailing healthcare system,” she said.
