Planning for Mackay health services well advanced

The Beattie Government continues to drive health reforms in the Mackay region to meet the needs of a growing and aging population, Acting Health Minister Rod Welford said today.

Mr Welford said the Mackay Health Service District’s budget had doubled in the past five years, with record numbers of doctors and nurses recruited to the region.

“Its important that master planning for the future is completed before more resources are directed to the Mackay Base Hospital, “ he said.

“I know it’s frustrating but we need the local community to work with us as we carry out the detailed and time consuming planning work necessary before we can make final decisions on how best to improve health services for the Mackay community.

“I want to assure people that the planning we need to do is well advanced.

“A clinical services plan identifying short, medium and long term initiatives to improve local health services has been completed.

“A draft Master Plan for the Mackay Health Service District has also been recently completed and is now with Queensland Health’s Northern Area Health Service for evaluation.

“Once that process is completed, the Area Health Service will prepare a comprehensive business plan with options and recommendations for consideration by government.

Mr Welford said the Member for Mackay Tim Mulherin continued to push hard to ensure Mackay gets the improved health services in requires.

“Tim has always been a strong advocate for the Mackay Base Hospital.

“Along with other key stakeholders, Tim is being kept fully informed about progress of master planning and health service planning,” he said.

Mr Mulherin said he was committed to ensuring Mackay had the health resources it needed to address future growth in the area.

"I have raised this issue personally with the Premier and Deputy Premier, who share my desire to ensure the Mackay district's health services and resources continue to be improved," he said.

“Any redevelopment of Mackay Base Hospital will require a major financial investment by government.

“We want to get this right and that means planning not just for the short and medium terms, but for the long-term so that when we spend hundreds of millions of taxpayers dollars we will know its been money well spent.

"I will continue to work with the Health Minister's office and the community to make sure the master planning and health services planning deliver the best outcomes for Mackay," he said

Fact Sheet

• Mackay Base Hospital has 134 doctors and 682 nurses today compared with 100 doctors and 613 nurses two years ago.

• Mackay Health Service District’s budget this year is $144.5 million compared to $122 million last year and $72 million in 2002-03.

• Mackay Base Hospital’s budget has increased to $80 million this year from $78 million in 2006-07

• Rockhampton Base Hospital’s budget for 2007-08 is $87 million, not $130 million as reported by some media organisations.

It is misleading to compare regional hospitals of different size and service provision - not all hospitals are the same size or provide the same type of services.

Some hospitals also provide services to areas well away from their immediate population base.

For example, Rockhampton Hospital is the major referral hospital for not only the Rockhampton district but for all of Central and Western Queensland from the Capricorn Coast to the Northern Territory border.

In contrast, Mackay Base Hospital serves around 146,000 people in the Mackay district and has access to services at a major tertiary hospital in Townsville.

MEDIA: PAUL LYNCH   3234 1190