Queensland health services face cuts

Queensland health services face cuts

By Bill Mason

BRISBANE — Queensland public hospital services face a cutbacks crisis as administrations attempt to confront a $52 million shortfall in the state health budget.

Over the next few months, wards will close, elective surgery will be postponed, and casual workers will face the sack as hospitals move to reduce costs.

Royal Brisbane Hospital chief executive David Effeney said the hospital would halt elective surgery for three weeks and close its specialist referral clinics for a week during the Easter, Anzac Day and Labor Day holiday periods.

Professor Effeney said, "We're not planning to fire anyone on the permanent staff. We are looking to lose staff by attrition."

In addition, mental hospitals in Brisbane face a funding crisis and severe cutbacks.

State health minister Ken Hayward has blamed the hospital boards for not keeping within their budgets. But doctors and other health professionals have urged funding increases for years, warning of an impending crunch for the hospital system.

Health unions are meeting to plan action to deal with the crisis.

Even the Red Cross blood bank moved on February 4 to sack 27 workers and put a blood collection unit in mothballs in a bid to save $1.1 million.

Health workers agree that the state's public hospital system needs urgent extra funding to avoid a serious breakdown in services.

From GLW issue 87