THE Palaszczuk Labor Government has been caught out counting fake hospital beds in the total capacity of Queensland’s health system.
Hospital beds should be a measure of how many patients can be cared for, not how much furniture is on-site.
The revelation of the Palaszczuk Labor Government’s tricky accounting for hospital beds casts doubt on the current capacity of Queensland’s health system and is more evidence of the chaos and crisis of the Government.
It also raises serious questions about the Government’s promises for additional hospital beds, including the Premier’s promise in 2021 to deliver an additional 800 hospital beds within four years.
Leader of the Opposition David Crisafulli said the Palaszczuk Labor Government had so few ideas on how to heal the Queensland Health Crisis they were now counting hospital beds that weren’t available.
“The Palaszczuk Government has become so consumed with optics they’ve forgot how to be transparent,” Mr Crisafulli said.
“They’ve failed to be upfront with Queenslanders about the dire hospital bed-shortage and that’s a dangerous spiral for service delivery.
“The LNP has put health solutions on the table including more resources, better triaging, releasing data in real time and putting doctors and nurses back in charge to improve patient care.”
Shadow Health Minister Ros Bates said after years of poor planning and under-investment, Queensland’s health system is in chaos and crisis and in urgent need of resuscitation.
“Queenslanders expect a promise to increase hospital beds will actually increase the capacity of our hospitals, not just update the furniture,” Ms Bates said.
“An unstaffed, fake hospital ‘bed’ cannot be used to treat a Queenslander.
“The Palaszczuk Labor Government has created the Queensland Health Crisis which is leaving patients stuck on stretchers and ramped in ambulances, unable to get a bed in hospital for the treatment they need.
“Queenslanders deserve better than a Government in a constant state of chaos and crisis.”