Hospital figures must take regional Queensland residents into account

Many patients in the region remain more likely to experience health problems or end up in emergency departments due to persistent inequity in access to elective surgery, and more must be done to change this path.

“Every Queenslander deserves to receive essential health care within the recommended time frame,” AMA Queensland President Dr Maria Boulton said.

“Any reduction in the time patients wait for the surgery they need to continue living their daily lives is positive, but we must ensure that the improvements are felt by every patient.

“As Queensland is a very decentralized state, one statistic should never tell the whole story.

“In many hospitals and health departments (HHS), far fewer than the current average of eight in ten patients receive treatment within the recommended time frame.

“According to the latest government data, almost 40 per cent of Mackay patients were forced to wait longer than the recommended time.

“Central Queensland and Townsville also continued to experience longer wait times than their metropolitan counterparts during this period.

“This problem is not going to go away overnight, which is why AMA Queensland has announced its new Surgical Waiting List Roundtable to identify practical and affordable steps the government can take to address inequalities in ‘access.

“The roundtable is expected to convene in mid-2024 with monthly online meetings attended by clinicians from a wide range of specialties across a variety of HHSs.

“We know that workforce is a key issue when it comes to reducing these wait times and we are confident that all members of the Roundtable will draw on their experiences working on the front lines to formulate concrete recommendations.

Background:

• The Surgical Waiting List Roundtable follows the success of the AMA Queensland Ramping Roundtable in 2021, where the State Government adopted the majority of our Ramping Action Plan.
• The AMA Queensland Ramping Roundtable Action Plan is available here.

Contact: AMA Queensland Media: +61 419 735 641 [email protected]