THE Health Minister’s claim that it does not matter what a health facility is called is appalling.
It shows yet again, the Palaszczuk Government cannot be trusted to run the health system.
The Palaszczuk Government has been telling Queenslanders these facilities are hospitals.
The Palaszczuk Government deliberately misled communities to get votes.
If your grandmother has a heart attack and you rush her to what you were told was a ‘hospital’ only to find it’s closed, does that not matter?
If your dad’s blood pressure suddenly drops and you rush him to what you were told was a ‘hospital’ only to find it’s closed, does that not matter?
If your young daughter has an asthma attack and you rush her to what you were told was a ‘hospital’ in the middle of the night only to find it’s closed, does that not matter?
Satellite hospitals are not hospitals.
A hospital has overnight beds, an emergency department, an intensive care unit, an operating theatre and operate 24 hours a day.
Satellites hospitals aren’t hospitals, they are community day clinics.
For the millions of Queenslanders who rely on hospitals for care in their hour of need, it absolutely does matter what a medical facility is called.
It also matters that elected MPs are open and honest with their communities instead of deliberately misleading them to chase votes.
We know now that medical experts were advising the Palaszczuk Government not to call these facilities satellite hospitals but they did anyway.
I’m also deeply concerned that the Health Minister says she couldn’t be bothered to listen to the opinion of “one individual”.
This goes to the heart of the Coaldrake Review and the toxic culture that the Premier has overseen for the past seven years.
Queenslanders deserve so much better.