Queensland health patients were the real winners tonight when the LNP’s surgery wait time guarantee motion was passed in Parliament.

The LNP moved the motion to keep the surgery guarantee it introduced in Government and ensure Queensland patients continued to receive their surgery on time.

Leader of the Opposition Lawrence Springborg said tonight’s vote was a win for Queensland patients.

“At the last election Queenslanders didn’t vote for the abolition of the wait time guarantee,” Mr Springborg said.

“Labor did not have a mandate to abolish Australia’s first surgery wait time guarantee and tonight the Parliament voted to protect it.”

“This cements the LNP as the true guardian and deliverer of free public health services in this state.”

Shadow Health Minister Mark McArdle said the LNP was on track to deliver a surgery wait time guarantee at the change of government.

“This was a good policy backed by the very Doctor’s that performed surgery on patients in Queensland’s public hospitals,” Mr McArdle said.

“A wait time guarantee was the only way to allay the fears and concerns of those patients awaiting their surgery.”

“It also ensures Queenslanders don’t find their way back to the bad old days of Labor’s hidden waiting lists.”

Fast Facts – LNP’s Health Record

  • Reduced the Waiting List for the Waiting list for the first time in history
  • Cleared the backlog of Cochlear implant patients
  • Cleared the public dental long-wait list (more than 60,000 Queenslanders)
  •  Provided 345,903 additional specialist outpatient appointments per annum
  • Provided an extra 8,000 procedures over four years and 2,000 extra surgical procedures a year through public-private partnerships
  • Commenced the Ophthalmology blitz – due to clear the long-wait waiting list by 30 June 2015.      
  • He said efficiencies within Queensland Health had resulted in extra appointments being made available, which had made improvements in the waiting list after a patient had seen a specialist. – Brisbane Times
  • Meanwhile AMA Queensland president Dr Shaun Rudd said the Wait Time Guarantee should be continued.
  • AMAQ President, Dr Shaun Rudd – February 2015
  • And we have a system now where we have got various hospital and health services which seem to be working extremely efficiently” – 612ABC Steve Austin
  • “I think, you know, we have to give praise where praise is due. And we all know that waiting lists are down… and even the waiting list for the waiting lists are coming down as well.
  • AMAQ President, Dr Shaun Rudd – January 2015