Was interesting to see the Cairns Post story on AMAQ calling for health to be major issue at next election. http://www.cairns.com.au/article/2011/11/21/192551_local-news.html
I 100% agree it is the number 1 issue for Cairns because it impacts on so many other areas. if we don't have health right, everything else falls down. the AMAQ also stated they would name and shame candidates and parties. For the government I don't see why they need to go any further than Dr Patel and the Health Payroll debacle. Those two issues alone show this government does not deserve the right to govern this state.
WIN news contacted the three Cairns candidates.
ALP candidate trotted out the same old tired lines about how much they're doing already, As far as she's concerned they're doing everything they need to, everything is fine with the CBH and she did not commit to doing anything other than what is happening already.
Well that may be fine for someone on a very highly paid council salary with no kids able to afford private health care and private doctors because of how much they get paid, but I can assure you for people who don't earn the same money you do or those with kids, mortgages and bills to pay there are major issues with our hospital. Someone who only goes to the CBH for cups of tea and cake at social events doesn't see what the ambulance and ED staff go through day after day. Anyone who has spoken to the doctors,nurses and health workers away from the cameras and their bosses knows there is issues. But hey, I suppose in fairyland everything is fairyfloss and lollipops. Down here in the real world it's a bit different. Nothing about the health payroll debacle. Nothing about the new hospital we got promised last election. Nothing about the fact our hospital has to be evacuated every natural disaster.
The LNP candidates answer to our woes is to increase the payments made under the patient transfer scheme.
Personally I agree this is well over due. The amounts paid are miniscule compared to cost incurred by patients. Take a look at the costs one of the high paid bureucrats would get paid in travel, accommodation and meals to cover the same journey as one of their patients. It's an obscene difference. But how does this address the concerns at Cairns Base Hospital? I think patients would prefer they could get the treatment they need at their local hospital, instead of having to travel. there are always going to be services we can't provide locally, but there are many that could be if we focussed on what matters and made a priority of what is needed.Campbell didn't give his ventriloquist dummy any more to say than that, so that was it.
You will notice that both of the other candidates trotted out tired old party/Brisbane centric responses that do not address our local needs.
Alternatively, we put our proposals forward on local needs. Firstly, reviewing the rural scholarships scheme to increase the number of nurses, doctors, health workers directly in our area. We put forward our proposals for the CBH to address bed block and retaining staff we have in the area with job sharing and child care arrangements. We have also outlined other streamlining,workplace improvements and cost recovery processes. We did this by consulting experts in the field. We happen to have a local doctor on our team running for Mulgrave who has firsthand info on what needs to happen. We have spoken to nurses, doctors, ambo's, health workers, mental health workers, police and other stakeholders to develop our policies. We don't need to be told what to do from Brisbane. We don't get told we can beg for the scraps like a mongrel dog when the big boys are finished. We get told to go out and find local solutions. That's what we do.
AND that's what's the difference between us and the other 2 parties.
We're pretty sure the $300million the govt wasted on the health payroll can be avoided in the future if they're not in power too.
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