The Queensland government has spruiked a record health spend in its state budget, but the response from health advocacy groups has been lukewarm, with the peak doctors lobby group saying the funding was needed "yesterday".
The state budget includes $9.8 billion for expanding capacity in the health system, delivering a total of 2,220 beds over six years through expansions to existing hospitals and the construction of three new ones in Bundaberg, Toowoomba and Coomera.
The government will also reallocate nearly $230 million of existing funding to add 289 beds across the Metro South, West Moreton, Gold Coast and Cairns and Hinterland hospital and health services over the next two years.
It also says it is on track to deliver on a promise of an extra 9,475 health staff in this term of government.
The total Queensland Health budget in 2022-23 is $23.6 billion.
Treasurer Cameron Dick said yesterday the budget for health had increased 13 per cent over two years.
"The AMA called for 1,500 beds and we're delivering 2,200 across the length and breadth of Queensland and we're delivering more than 250 over the next two years alone," Mr Dick said.
"When we get those beds built, that will free up capacity in the hospital system and that will help Queenslanders wherever they live."
Hospital beds needed 'yesterday'
Australian Medical Association Queensland (AMAQ) president Maria Boulton said the "record" spend the government was touting was only keeping up with inflation.
"Those hospital beds needed to be available yesterday," Dr Boulton said.
"While, yes, it is more spending from Queensland … we needed that spending to be had yesterday.
"Patients are waiting on hospital ambulance ramps. That's ridiculous.
"Patients are waiting to access mental health services. That's ridiculous … we're playing catch-up and we needed to do more."
Dr Boulton said there would need to be collaboration between the state and federal governments and stakeholders to ensure there were enough doctors to staff hospital beds.
She said the budget was also a missed opportunity to increase funding for palliative care.
'Paramedics are going to struggle'
Fiona Scalon, ambulance coordinator for the United Workers Union, said the record health funding was pleasing to see.
"There isn't, however, any talk of any extra resources for ambulance, and that's disappointing to our members considering they're struggling at the moment," Ms Scalon said.
"We were hoping that the advocacy we had done around the fact that our members still can't get their breaks on a 12-hour shift, they can't finish on time, is clear that there isn't enough bodies on the ground and they need to put more on.
"They have put a lot of money into trying to address that, which is really pleasing to see … but in the meantime, our paramedics are going to struggle because it's going to take years for that kind of thing to have an impact."
Health Minister Yvette D'Ath said the big health spend would tackle long ambulance wait times by making more hospital beds available.
"The log-jams that we get with ambulances goes to the heart of having bed capacity when people either need it for elective surgery or for emergency care and what we need to do is increase our bed numbers and we need to increase it significantly," she told ABC Radio Brisbane.
"This is the biggest uplift this state has ever seen in building new beds for our hospitals."
Medical staff shortage in the bush
Bruce Willett, chair of the Queensland Branch of the RACGP, told ABC Radio Brisbane that family doctors would be glad to see the increased staffing and beds in hospitals.
But Dr Willett said there was a shortage of doctors and nurses, particularly in the bush, and they should not be pulled from general practice, where they were also needed, to work in hospitals.
