Queensland Labor delivers sick Health budget

• Labor health budget full of cost blowouts, poor patient outcomes and capital underspends
• Ambulance ramping back with a vengeance under Labor
• Health waitlists on the rise for patients waiting for life-saving surgery

Queensland’s health system is fading fast under the incompetent economic management of the Palaszczuk Labor Government.

LNP Shadow Health Minister John-Paul Langbroek said Queensland Labor had delivered a health budget of massive cost blow outs, poor patient outcomes and millions underspent in promised capital investment.

“It’s back to the bad old days of Labor with this budget with costs blowing out, but services to Queenslanders going backwards,” Mr Langbroek said.

“Ambulance ramping is back with a vengeance at our hospital emergency departments with Queenslanders left lying for hours on stretchers because Labor has no solution.*

“Almost half of all category 1 and 2 patients are languishing on waitlists, many of them needing life-saving surgeries.**

“Despite health funding being a primary responsibility of the states, this year’s Queensland Budget saw growth in state funding to our health system shrink to just 3 per cent, compared to 14 per cent growth in funding from the Commonwealth Government.***

“This budget also shows critical health infrastructure isn’t being provided reflected by an underspend in the Queensland Health capital budget of $196.5 million in the past year.”

Mr Langbroek said Labor was underspending on infrastructure, but allowing massive cost blowouts in others.

“In 2016/17 we saw supplies and services blow out by almost $700 million, putting pressure on the ability of our health system to deliver services to Queenslanders in the future,” he said.

“Labor’s so desperate to make hospital budgets look good, their budget papers have even resorted to reporting on the percentage of Queenslanders eating fruit and vegetables as a performance measure. (page 22 of the Service Delivery Statement)

“This is classic Labor mismanagement. Cost blow outs, poor patient outcomes and millions underspent in promised capital investment.

“A Tim Nicholls-led Liberal National government would build a better health service for all Queenslanders.”

*Ambulance ramping:

• 20% of patients were left ramped in 2016/17.
• 27% of category 2 ED patients not seen within clinically recommended times
• 37% of category 3 ED patients not seen within clinically recommended times
• 24 % of patients were languishing longer than 4 hours in Emergency Departments.

**Category 1 and 2 waitlists:

• 46% of category 1 outpatients waiting longer than clinically recommended
• 42% of category 2 outpatients waiting longer than clinically recommended

***Queensland vs. Commonwealth contribution to health funding:

• State: $9.95 billion in 2016/17; $10.2billion in 2017/18 (3% increase)
• Federal: $3.9 billion in 2016/17; $4.46 billion in 2017/18 (14% increase)