This backs up what I’m hearing directly from constituents on a daily basis.
No wonder the Government won’t release the Master Clinical Services Plan which was due in February last year.
It takes the Auditor General to release information which is being experienced by locals.
The hospital has not met clinical recommended targets for the emergency department and ambulance ramping.
These are the front-line services, often the first experience when you go to hospital.
Ambulance ramping was 29% in the June quarter which is an increase of 9.3% over the same period last year.*
This is not the fault of Covid.
The QAO said Queensland ambulance ramping is worsening and “this target has not been met at the statewide level in the past seven years.”
These are not the only issues being faced at the local hospital.
The paediatric ward is not functioning, services are under stress, patients are transferred to the Sunshine Coast.
In some cases, services are removed altogether.
No one finds out until they notice a change in what’s provided, or a loss of services.
There is a lack of transparency, a culture of secrecy, cover ups and stalling.
I’m frequently raising the problems with our health services.
Only two weeks ago I again spoke about it in the Parliament. ** The Health Minister ignores the problems at Gympie Hospital.
I wrote to the Minster almost nine weeks ago, and again three weeks ago, about the paediatric ward.
Her response is silence.
The Gympie hospital is failing us.
If the local hospital cannot provide the level of service this community deserves then we need to start planning for a new one.