Michelle Landry MP responded to the concerns expressed by local residents and healthcare professionals regarding the deteriorating healthcare system by extending an invitation to Dr Anne Webster MP, Shadow Assistant Minister for Regional Health, to facilitate a Regional Health Forum in Rockhampton last night.
The forum, which drew over 25 community members and frontline healthcare workers, provided a platform for attendees to share their firsthand experiences.
Ms Landry said the evening had been a productive night where people had the opportunity to discuss what they would like to see changed in the health sector.
“I’ve been meeting with many individuals throughout Capricornia who have expressed disappointment with the healthcare system’s shortcomings. That’s why I extended an invitation to my colleague, Dr Anne Webster, to visit Rockhampton and listen to the concerns of my constituents.
“The main issues of concern were workforce shortages, inadequate funding distribution, lack of access to GPs and difficulty navigating the complex healthcare system. While some of the stories were upsetting, it’s imperative to engage in these conversations to shape policies that incorporate input from frontline healthcare workers and individuals who have been failed by the very system designed to support them,” Ms Landry said.
Dr Anne Webster, Shadow Assistant Minister for Regional Health, stated regional health is in crisis.
“I am grateful to the hard-working Member for Capricornia for introducing me to some of the dedicated front-line workers in regional health here in Central Queensland.
“As one health consumer put it, regional health is a disaster under state and federal Labor, with patients forced to make costly and unnecessary trips to Brisbane to get the health care they deserve.
“Place-based health forums across regional Australia have reinforced the dire problems, such as workforce shortages, across regional Australia under state and federal Labor.
“I am preparing unapologetically bold and courageous health policies to intervene in this disaster and prepare us for a sustainable, localised healthcare future,” Dr Webster said.
