Qld: More doctors ready to quit at Qld hospital: Opposition

AAP General News (Australia)
08-16-2006
Qld: More doctors ready to quit at Qld hospital: Opposition

HERVEY BAY, Qld, Aug 16 AAP - More doctors are threatening to resign due to chronic
under-staffing at a southeast Queensland hospital, the state Opposition says.

Liberal leader Bruce Flegg today said a leaked Queensland Health document showed 12
full time positions at Hervey Bay Hospital had been under-funded, preventing the facility
from attracting doctors.

Dated July 17 this year, the "critical medical vacancy report" showed the hospital's
emergency and internal medical wards were each down five doctors while the orthopaedic
ward was short a further two doctors.

Dr Flegg, campaigning for the state election in Hervey Bay, said the situation was
applying extra workloads to existing staff, threatening patient safety.

"It's a very strained hospital, this is a hospital in severe distress which impacts
on staff and will result in further staff leaving," Dr Flegg said.

He also said the documents revealed that outpatient services at the hospital would remain closed.

The hospital's dire situation proved the state government's multi billion dollar campaign
to fix the state's struggling public hospital system was nothing more than "spin", Dr
Flegg said.

The coalition today announced all public hospitals would be run by locally-appointed
hospital boards to prevent bureaucratic bungling.

Nationals leader Lawrence Springborg said the disasters arising from the Jayant Patel
scandal at Bundaberg Hospital would never have happened if a local hospital board comprising
doctors and nurses along with members of the community had been in place.

Mr Springborg also said a coalition government would end a culture of bullying and
intimidation that had plagued the hospital system.

AAP jvb/kj/sc/it/sd

KEYWORD: POLL QLD REPORT

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