The chief of Sunshine Coast Health says the service “is on the right track” after an increase in elective surgeries across the region.
Almost 3500 patients were treated in the June quarter, 12 per cent more than the same time last year.
But the Opposition said the waitlist at Nambour Hospital had soared in recent years and the number of people on the waitlist around Queensland was higher than ever.
Sunshine Coast Health chief executive Peter Gillies commended local staff for providing more elective surgeries in the rapidly growing region.
“As always, I am proud of our hardworking healthcare workers and the work they do to provide the best care for our communities, despite our hospitals being busier than ever before,” he said.
“This quarter’s increase in elective surgery delivery is a testament to our frontline staff and the work we are doing to increase capacity within our hospitals.
“These results show we are on the right track, and we will continue to find efficiencies so we can support the growing demand for our services.”
The elective surgery long waitlist on the Sunshine Coast dropped by 83 per cent, from 658 patients in June 2023 to 110 in June 2024.
There was also a 6.8 percentage point increase in the rate of elective surgery patients treated within clinically recommended times during the same period.
Hospitals statewide delivered almost 38,000 elective surgeries, a record for the June quarter.
But the Opposition said the health system was essentially broken, with more Queenslanders than ever waiting for surgery.
They said the elective surgery waitlist at Nambour Hospital had soared by 251 to 1572 since 2015, which is a 19 per cent increase.
They also pointed to new data that showed the waitlist statewide had increased by 1383 to a record 61,421 during the June quarter, and doubled since 2015.
Leader of the Opposition David Crisafulli said an overhaul was required.
“These numbers represent a health system in crisis, frontline staff not being properly resourced and patients not getting the care they need,” he said.
“They represent our hardworking health workers being stretched to the limit and not getting the support they need.
“I want Queenslanders to know if government changes in October these are the figures we will drive down and be held accountable for.
“Only the LNP has the right plan to heal the health crisis and that starts with better resources, better triaging, releasing data in real-time and putting doctors and nurses back in charge to improve patient care.”
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