Focus On Intensive Care Beds Lacking From Government
Recently, the LNP Leader David Crisafulli spoke out about the lack of additional intensive care beds brought into operation by the Government – there have been just six new beds in the past two years. Considering that these are vital to treatment of those who get sick from COVID-19, it makes one ask a simple question: what have they been doing for the past 19 months, since the Government declared a public health emergency in
January 2020, if not boosting up the number of these beds?
Once again, it looks like the Government fail to deliver the basics – ambulance ramping is up from 15% in 2015 to over 40% now, and this is why our hospitals are under pressure. Don’t believe the Government when they blame the pandemic for the state of the health and hospital system. It is poor management, plain and simple, and it was seriously heading in the wrong direction a long time before COVID-19. Thankfully, the pandemic has not broken out in a big way in Queensland, given the state of the hospital system.
Residents often encourage me, the LNP Leader and other nongovernment MPs to not just criticise (that can sound a bit too negative at times), but to have some positive suggestions. It is our job to hold the Government to account, however, here is a suggestion for health: let’s put the data on ramping and hospital capacity out there in real time and make it a focus
for all in the system to improve the treatment time of patients and accordingly the number who can be seen each day. And make people in QLD Health accountable when things go wrong, and hence provide an incentive for the system as a whole to improve. I have experience with my own family – the hours and hours wait at public hospitals, and I can only imagine that some people simply do not seek treatment sometimes because they know of the ordeal that awaits them as part of that waiting. That is the worse outcome for all involved!
If you have an issue that you think should be fixed, I encourage you to contact my office, toll-free on 1800 813 960, so I can lobby on your behalf in Brisbane.