Dr Christian Rowan MP, the State Member for Moggill, has advised that a damning report has exposed the Palaszczuk Labor Government’s failure to provide Queenslanders surgery on time, with waiting lists increasing and operating theatres across the state running inefficiently.
The Auditor-General’s Queensland Hospital Operating Theatre Efficiency Report 2015-2016 showed the former LNP Government’s improvements to Queensland Health had begun to unravel under Labor.
“Yesterday, the Auditor-General acknowledged the LNP made significant inroads in dealing with the issues it inherited from the Bligh Labor Government, including almost eliminating surgical wait times,” Dr Rowan said.
“It also clearly indicates Queensland’s health system is deteriorating under this do-nothing Palaszczuk Labor Government, with the total number of Queenslanders waiting for elective surgery increasing by 7000.
“Under Labor we have inefficient operating theatres and facilities that aren’t being used in the best interests of patients. Queenslanders aren’t getting the quality of healthcare they need as quickly as they did under the former LNP Government.”
Dr Rowan said, despite almost eliminating the number of patients experiencing long waits for elective surgery, Queensland’s public operating theatres weren’t operating as efficiently as they could.
“Patients are waiting longer not because of a lack of operating theatres, but poor theatre efficiency and unfunded sessions,” he said.
“Having a health system that consumes 29 per cent of the state budget means nothing if you can’t use that money properly to achieve the best patient outcomes.
“Labor is focused on throwing money at Queensland Health, rather than creating an efficient system that rewards and encourages innovation and, because of this, we’re seeing Queensland’s health system unravel.”
Fast Facts:
Under the LNP the number of people waiting longer than clinically-recommended for
elective surgery fell from 7042 to just 75.
Under Labor, by December 2015 patients waiting longer than clinically-recommended had increased to 356.
Across Queensland, operating theatres were only being used 73.7 per cent of the
available time.
Queensland has the lowest percentage of ‘on-time starts’ (patients being treated within the clinically recommended timeframe) when compared with New South Wales and Western Australia.
