The LNP is calling on the Premier to explain how ambulance ramping has broken all records to reach the worst levels our state has ever seen as patient numbers drop.
Official figures show the number of patients presenting at emergency departments in our hospitals fell by more than 70,000 compared with the previous quarter.
Yet the Premier and her Health Minister blamed the pandemic, floods and Peter Dutton for our ramping crisis.
Leader of the Opposition David Crisafulli said the Premier and her government were fast running out of excuses for the Queensland Health Crisis.
“We’re not in this situation because of numbers that were released on Thursday, we’re here because of the decisions that weren’t made over more than half a decade.
“This government is losing control of our hospitals, our ambulances and our health system because they did not invest in enough beds.
“They have let down every Queenslander in this state and it’s time they explained how they are going to fix this crisis of their own making.”
The figures released by the Health Minister on Thursday show Queensland now has the worst ambulance ramping in the country with 42% of all ambulances ramped, an increase of 4% from the previous quarter.
Under the LNP, ambulance ramping was at 15%.
Under Anna Bligh’s leadership, it was 30%.
Under Annastacia Palaszczuk’s leadership, ambulance ramping has tripled over the past seven years.
Ramping at the PA Hospital in Brisbane has soared to an extraordinary 67% (up from 42%) - numbers never seen before in Queensland.
Shadow Health Minister Ros Bates said the LNP had solutions on the table including more beds, better triaging, releasing real-time data and giving power back to the frontline staff to make better decisions to improve patient care.
“As a nurse and former hospital administrator, I know how stressful it can be for our dedicated frontline staff who are overworked and under-resourced,” she said.
“Our exhausted paramedics are doing an incredible job under the toughest conditions, but they are being let down by this government.
“Queensland Health was in crisis long before Covid, the Minister can no longer hide.
“She is losing control of Queensland Health.
“She must listen and she must act.
“Queenslanders deserve so much better than this.”
