Springborg Must Detail Health’s Share Of 66,000 Job Cuts

                   Media Release.

Shadow Health Minister, Jo-Ann Miller, says hospital statistics contained in the Newman Government’s advertising blitz should also detail the number of doctors, nurses and other frontline health workers already sacked from the health system.

“We also now know from the Premier and the Treasurer that 66,000 government jobs are on the chopping block in the next five years,” Mrs Miller said.

“So the ads should also be listing how many of those are doctors, nurses, and frontline health workers at each hospital in the state.”

Mrs Miller said the 2012 State Budget had already outlined cuts of $3 billion for regional hospital and health services over four years and 4,100 jobs to disappear from the health system.

“Why hasn’t the Minister for Health Cuts and Closures, Lawrence Springborg, included those details in the advertisements, let alone each hospital’s share of the 66,000 extra job cuts the LNP has planned for the state?” she said.

Mrs Miller said she was not surprised figures published in many of the advertisements focussed on improvements in processing through emergency departments.

“Emergency departments have benefited from a joint federal-state program funded since 2010-11 that has seen improvements in patient flow through EDs in Queensland hospitals,” she said.

“That ongoing program of extra funding started under the previous Labor government is something Mr Springborg never mentions."

“Through the NEAT (national emergency access target ) program Queensland receives $60.9 million out of a $300 million pool of federal funds 2010-11 and 2012-13."

“If agreed benchmarks for improved waiting times are achieved, Queensland is then also eligible for up to $41.6 million out of $200 million of federal ‘reward’ funding."

“Why don’t the advertisements acknowledge the real source of the ED improvements?"