FUNDING BOOST FOR PUBLIC PAEDIATRIC ALLERGY SERVICES

The Beattie Government will invest $500,000 a year to establish Queensland’s first public specialist paediatric allergy clinic, Health Minister Stephen Robertson said today.

Mr Robertson said this recurrent budget funding will enable the Royal Children’s Hospital to employ a fulltime medical specialist in paediatric allergy and immunology to service the clinic.

“An additional $125,000 will also fund a specialist registrar training position in allergy and immunology across the Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital and Royal Children’s Hospital commencing in 2008.

“A second specialist registrar will be appointed at the hospital campus in 2009.“

Mr Robertson said the medical specialist will also supervise the registrars in training.

“There are limited specialist paediatric allergy and immunology clinical services currently available and few training places across Australia.

“Prior to the creation of these training positions, registrars have needed to go interstate or overseas to train in allergy and immunology.

“Providing local on-the-job training under the supervision of a senior specialist means we can build service capacity and progressively improve access for patients to these specialist services.

“Training locally also eliminates the risk registrars could be poached while training outside Queensland.”

Mr Robertson said he had recognised the need to enhance public allergy and immunology services in Queensland.

“There’s a growing problem of allergy in the community particularly among children.