Only 68 per cent of Queensland public hospital emergency department patients were seen within the recommended times last financial year, new data shows.
It is the state's worst performance since 2017-18 when Queensland recorded the same figure.
Health Minister Yvette D'Ath has defended the result, given the impact of the pandemic.
She said that since March this year, the Queensland public health system had experienced 300,000 lost staff days due to COVID-19.
"You take that number of staff out of your public health system, in such a short period of time, of course there's going to be impact on the service delivery," she told journalists in Bundaberg.
"But that's coming down. We are living with COVID. We're managing COVID better.
"There isn't the same isolation rules anymore. That will inevitably mean we're going to have more staff available."
Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW) data released today shows Queensland was the second-best performing state in terms of the percentages of public ED patients being seen on time, behind New South Wales at 77 per cent.
The Australian Capital Territory registered the lowest figures at 48 per cent.
Fastest elective surgery wait times
Ms D'Ath said she was proud that despite the impact of COVID on the state's public emergency departments, 100 per cent of the most urgent patients were seen on time in 2021-22.
"People need to be aware that it's not first in, first serve. It is always prioritised. Who is the most critical? Who needs to be seen first?" she said.
"You may have been sitting there for two hours but if someone walks in who is absolutely critical and needs lifesaving care, they're going to get it first."
The AIHW data showed Queensland had the lowest percentage of people waiting more than 365 days for elective surgery in public hospitals last financial year at 3.3 per cent.
The next best state was Victoria at 4.7 per cent.
Queensland's opposition health spokeswoman Ros Bates said the AIHW report showed the state's hospitals were "under the pump".
"Queensland patients are waiting longer for treatment and staff are working themselves to the brink of exhaustion," Ms Bates said.
"The state government needs to explain to Queenslanders why they've given up on fighting for 50:50 health funding with the federal government.
"After nearly eight years in power, the premier has given up on listening to Queensland patients and frontline staff.
"Queenslanders deserve better."
