ALARMING Palaszczuk Government health figures have revealed the extraordinary wait times Townsville Hospital patients are being forced to endure before their first contact with a medical professional.
Opposition analysis has revealed patients waited more than seven hours in May and five hours in June this year after presenting at Townsville Hospital.
This is before the patient is taken to the emergency department or another ward for treatment.
Leader of the Opposition David Crisafulli said patients were paying the price for the Queensland Health Crisis.
“Nobody should have to wait endless hours in the Emergency Department waiting room,” Mr Crisafulli said.
“This is another sign the State Government is losing control of Queensland Health.
“The Health Minister must listen to the solutions we are putting forward to heal the health system.
“Our emergency departments are at breaking point, elective surgery waitlists have soared and frontline staff are working themselves to the brink of exhaustion.
“Patient care should always be the top priority, but the State Government is more interested in their political survival than patient survival.
“The LNP has put solutions on the table including more beds, improving triaging, real-time data monitoring and giving power back to doctors and nurses on the frontline instead of centralised decision-making out of Brisbane.
“After three terms in office, the State Government has given up on listening.
“Queenslanders deserve better.”