THE LNP Opposition has announced its 30th Queensland Health Crisis Town Hall will be held in Townsville this week.
More than 80 locals have already registered to attend the milestone forum that will be hosted by Leader of the Opposition David Crisafulli and Shadow Health Minister Ros Bates on Wednesday.
The meeting comes as new Queensland Health data reveals the waiting list to see a specialist in Townsville recorded the largest increase in the state in the quarter to December.
Leader of the Opposition David Crisafulli said he was proud to be able to take part in 30 Town Halls and give Queenslanders across the state a voice in our fight to heal the health system.
“We wanted to hold the 30th Queensland Health Crisis Town Hall in Townsville so we could listen to locals and hear firsthand their experiences with the region’s ailing healthcare services,” Mr Crisafulli said.
“We hosted out first town hall at Mt Gravatt in June 2021 and since then we’ve travelled across the state and listened to the stories of Queenslanders from Cairns to Mt Isa, Gladstone, Biloela, Bundaberg, Ipswich and the Gold Coast.
“We’ve had some wins along the way, including locals finally getting a crucial specialist appointment, or even surgery after years of delays.
“We will take the stories from Townsville locals on Wednesday straight to the floor of Parliament House to demand action and change.
“We’re committed to supporting these communities and backing their fight for better healthcare services.”
“Only two weeks ago I had the privilege of touring the Townsville Hospital with Shadow Health Minister Ros Bates.
“We listened to the incredible health staff and were blown away by their commitment and dedication to their patients.
“We know they are doing all they can to hold together Labor’s broken health system.”
Shadow Health Minister Ros Bates said the LNP had put solutions on the table including more beds, better triage and giving power back to the frontline staff to make better decisions to improve patient care.
“Doctors, nurses, paramedics, and allied healthcare workers were exhausted and deserved more respect,” Ms Bates said.
“As a nurse and former hospital administrator, I know how stressful it can get for the staff who are doing everything they can to keep our hospitals running.
“The embattled Health Minister doesn’t have a plan to fix the health crisis and if the part-time Premier wasn’t checked out from her job she would have sacked her ages ago.
“What has the Palaszczuk Labor Government been doing for the last eight years to improve our hospitals?
“It’s time for the Premier to take some action and deliver vital services to Queenslanders who need it most.”