SMART STATE LEADS ON RESEARCH INTO HEALTH'S FRONTLINE

Health Minister Stephen Robertson today launched the Queensland Emergency Medicine Research Foundation, the first of its kind in Australia to receive dedicated funds for health’s frontline.

Established with initial funding of $5 million from Queensland Health, the Minister today pledged on-going funding support for the new research body.

The Foundation was established to manage this funding and deploy a program of grants designed to build Queensland emergency medicine research capability and performance.

Membership of the foundation includes the Queensland Branch of the Australian Medical Association, the Australian Salaried Medical Officers Foundation Queensland Branch, the Queensland Public Sector Union, the Australasian College for Emergency Medicine, and Queensland Health.

Mr Robertson said the Bligh Government had committed $2 million annually to emergency medicine research to improve health services and ensure quality patient care.

“This investment in the future is another example of how the Bligh Government is putting the health of Queenslanders first,” Mr Robertson said.

“Our population boom means our emergency departments are under increasing pressure and this investment is about financially recognising the importance of, and enormous need for, emergency medicine research.

Mr Robertson said the Foundation was required to undertake research into the emergency medicine component of the broader issue of high workloads in emergency departments, and the increasing demands of treating large numbers of critically ill patients.

“There were 981,940 attendances at Queensland public hospital emergency departments last financial year and demand is increasing at a rate of almost 10 per cent a year.

“The establishment of the Research Foundation propels Queensland to the forefront of research in the frontline of health service delivery.

Applications for grants managed by the foundation open today and are open to all eligible emergency medicine doctors.


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Media: Kate Van Poelgeest on 0458 449 267