I AM alarmed by the severe escalation of the Queensland Health Crisis at Mackay Hospital.
The seriousness of reports that the hospital is at risk of losing its surgical training accreditation cannot be overstated.
If the accreditation is lost it means the hospital’s senior doctors will be forced to bare a larger workload, and fewer junior doctors would come to the region to train and potentially stay.
The end result would be a reduction in surgical services available in Mackay. It would be a hammer blow to healthcare in Mackay.
The Palaszczuk Government has overseen severe failures in the maternity services unit which resulted in immeasurable costs to mothers.
These problems are now spreading elsewhere into the hospital.
The embattled Health Minister must urgently act to ensure surgeries at Mackay can continue safely and that the hospital is delivering services the people of Mackay, and right across the region, deserve.