TODAY marks 200 days since the maternity ward at Gladstone Hospital was shut.

For 200 days local women could not give birth at their local hospital.

For 200 days Gladstone families have been treated like second-class citizens.

For 200 days the State Government has failed to deliver permanent solutions.

Leader of the Opposition David Crisafulli visited Gladstone today and met with women and families affected by the crisis.

Mr Crisafulli said it was another heart-breaking chapter in the Queensland Health Crisis because the Government failed to plan, deliver and evaluate health services for the region.

“This is not the modern Queensland local mums deserve to live in,” Mr Crisafulli said.

“Forcing pregnant women to drive the Bruce Highway to give birth at Rockhampton Hospital is cruel, distressing, and dangerous and quite frankly it’s a choice they should never have to make.

“There has been a complete lack of leadership from the State Government and absolutely no urgency to secure full services.

“I’m here in Gladstone today to send a very strong message that these women, their families and this city mean a great deal to my team.

“For a city the size of Gladstone not to have full maternity services in 2023 is disgraceful.

“We’ve heard the stories from local mums. We’ve met them. We’ve listened to them. For six months we’ve been fighting for them.

“The Opposition will not stop fighting until full maternity services are restored at Gladstone Hospital.”

Member for Callide Bryson Head, who joined the Leader of the Opposition in Gladstone today, said the Labor Government had failed the region.

“The Labor Government has destroyed one of our great city’s abilities to provide a critical service to women. It’s just unfathomable how this has been allowed to happen in Queensland,’ Mr Head said.

“Glenn Butcher has disgracefully embarrassed himself through this mess and failed to stop this from happening.

“Doctors say they were raising this privately for two years but he did not listen to them.

“Glenn Butcher told the people of Gladstone he would resign if services hadn’t been restored by October. Well, it’s now January. Clearly you cannot trust what Glenn Butcher says. Not only has he failed to deliver on his promise but now Glenn Butcher and the Labor Government are refusing to promise they will the deliver full maternity services that the women of Gladstone deserve.

“Glenn Butcher takes Gladstone for granted and people won’t forget that.

“The Labor Government’s inability to manage our health system because it’s more focused on politics and power instead of people caused this mess.

“What more will it take for the Premier to take action against her embattled Health Minister?

“For eight years the Palaszczuk Government has destroyed the health system.

“Bed block is back, ambulance bypass has returned, record ambulance ramping, elective surgery waitlists have blown out, the DNA lab bungle, Caboolture Hospital debacle and the horrific treatment of Mackay mums have all happened under this Health Minister.

“After three terms in office, Queenslanders now believe the Palaszczuk Government has given up on listening.

“Central Queenslanders deserve better.”