Fifty local patients and health professionals attended The Liberal National Party’s 37th Queensland Health Crisis Town Hall in Ipswich last week.
Leader of the Opposition David Crisafulli headed the event at Club Services Ipswich on Tuesday, February 27 .
Shadow Health Minister Ros Bates and candidate for Ipswich West Darren Zanow were also in attendance.
It was the second time Ipswich has hosted the Liberal National Party (LNP) health-related forum.
The main issue was patients being forced to wait too long to be transferred from an ambulance to the emergency department for treatment.
This is also known as ambulance ramping.
Ipswich Hospital has the second highest ambulance ramping rate in Queensland, with only 40 per cent of patients transferred within 30 minutes.
This is far short of the government’s 90 per cent statewide target.
Mr Crisafulli commended the “brave Ipswich locals” who shared their experiences at the forum.
“We heard from Queenslanders who have lost loved ones on the ramp at the local hospital, and some that have been waiting for vital surgery for years,” Mr Crisafulli said.
Among those to attend and demand change was Lauren Hansford.
Her father Wayne Irving, a 67-year-old foster carer from the Scenic Rim, died after waiting three hours on an ambulance stretcher at Ipswich Hospital.
In response to Wayne’s death, Queensland Health promptly adopted a $20 million five-point plan to address ambulance ramping, including hiring more triage and waiting-room nurses.
Nevertheless, Mr Crisafulli said his government would have the “right priorities” if elected later this year.
“The LNP will provide better resources and triaging, share data in real-time, and put doctors and nurses back in charge to improve patient care.
“Easier access to health services is our priority, because it’s Queenslanders’ priority.”
Ms Bates said the issue was not the fault of hardworking frontline doctors, nurses, paramedics.
Nor the allied health professionals.
“As a nurse and former hospital administrator, I know how overstretched and under-resourced our hospitals have become.
Mr Zanow said it was one of many issues driving him to “send Labor a message” .
