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  • Qld minister defends ambulance services

    Author: AAP

Queensland's Health Minister says paramedic fatigue is a concern but has accused the opposition of trying to mislead the public by "cherry picking" the state's ambulance data.

The Liberal National Party on Wednesday released more than 900 pages of Queensland Ambulance Service operations data obtained under Right to Information laws, saying it portrayed a "broken system".

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LNP leader David Crisafulli said data - compiled from Brisbane, Southport and Maroochydore ambulance services - revealed paramedics had been stood down from their shifts due to exhaustion.

Another was forced to use their own car because an ambulance was not available, the LNP says.

Health Minister Yvette D'Ath said all health care workers were under pressure due to the COVID-19 pandemic but claimed Queensland was performing well compared to other states.

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"They are very, very isolated cases," Ms D'Ath said of exhausted paramedics being stood down from their shifts.

"And I have seen claims...that staff have been asked to use their own vehicles to treat patients - that is absolutely refuted by Queensland Ambulance Service.

"Simply cherry picking out of performance data...to try and make the system worse than it is...is either completely naive or (the LNP) is deliberately seeking to mislead the community."

However, Ms D'Ath said the toll the pandemic was taking on all Queensland health staff was a worry.

Hospital and health services are currently working on a leave policy for weary workers.

"I am very concerned with how exhausted our health workers are," she said.

"That's why our hospital and health services are working on a leave policy to deal with fatigue and how we will backfill when there is a shortage of health workers across this country.

"We haven't been able to get overseas workers to supplement our core workforce...for two years."

The LNP said data showed ramping had led to instances where a wheelchair-bound patient was left outside a hospital for three hours while another waited more than 10 hours for an ambulance to arrive.

Mr Crisafulli also claimed one in three people at Queensland emergency departments are not seen in time while more than 85,000 were on the state's waiting list for specialist appointments.

Asked about ambulance ramping, Ms D'Ath said: "Now with (COVID-19) practices...it takes additional time for every single ambulance...(and) increases time in every hospital.

"We are still seeing major demand pressures. Is it where we want it to be? No.

"It is about...making sure we are improving what we are doing with the facilities that we have got - but we can't control what comes through the (hospital) door."

Ms D'Ath appeared to answer one of the LNP's criticisms on Wednesday by announcing a $12 million investment for an extra 26 beds at Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee Hospital by June.

Mr Crisafulli later claimed the original announcement had been made in May 2021.

Ms D'Ath said the LNP should be addressing what she believed were the real issues affecting the Queensland public health system.

They included increasing the number of places for training medical student, further incentives to attract doctors to go into general practice, attracting and retaining GPs and increasing Medicare subsidies that go to GPs.

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