Patients are being diverted hundreds of kilometres away from their hospital in regional Queensland due to a shortage of doctors, as locals warn access to healthcare was reaching crisis point.
Queensland Health has confirmed the Biggenden Multipurpose Health Service, west of Bundaberg, is currently on "bypass" because there were no permanent or locum doctors available at the hospital.
It used the term to refer to the process of diverting ambulances to other hospitals where a higher level of care could be provided.
For Biggenden, it meant patients were forced to travel over an hour in an ambulance or be flown to another town for emergency medical treatment.
Local resident Mark Copeland, a full-time carer for his wife who suffers from a chronic condition, said the doctor shortage had worsened, with access to medical care going from "bad to worse" in recent months.
"We've got a health service here which encompasses a private practice, an aged care facility and a regional hospital with no doctors," he said.
"But since then, it's just turned out there is no ongoing, permanent medical support."
He said even nursing staff had become "hit and miss".
"From week to week, it's a matter of ring and see if there's a doctor available," Mr Copeland said.
Recruiting for staff
Wide Bay Hospital and Health Service (WBHHS) acting chief executive officer Robyn Bradley said ambulances would be diverted from Biggenden to Bundaberg Base Hospital.
She said the service had found a permanent medical superintendent for Biggenden after months of recruiting.
"WBHHS has finalised recruitment … with the successful applicant scheduled to start in the coming months," Ms Bradley said.
But Mr Copeland said the community would continue to suffer in the meantime.
"The nearest major hospitals are either Bundaberg, which is over 100 kilometres away, or Hervey Bay, which is more than 120," he said.
"It's known widely within the community and I can't name one person who is satisfied with the current situation for medical care."
Opposition spokesperson for health Ros Bates said the situation was unacceptable.
"Queensland Health is spending millions and millions of dollars on locum doctors, flying them into communities that don't have a doctor," she said.
"They're spending millions on agency nurses who are earning more than their full-time counterparts in your local towns."
Ambulance ramping continues
Ms Bates said ramping also continued to be a major issue, with December quarter figures showing 25 per cent of patients in Bundaberg were left sitting on an ambulance trolley for more than 30 minutes.
That was compared to 31 per cent of patients at Hervey Bay Hospital and 13 per cent of patients at Maryborough Hospital.
Ms Bradley said Queensland's hospitals, including those in the Wide Bay region, were "busier than ever, with the demand for emergency and unplanned care accelerating significantly compared to pre COVID-19 growth trends".
"The demand is exceeding population growth and is partly due to factors including the rising cost of private health insurance premiums along with limited access and a decrease in bulk-billable GP services," she said.
"Despite recording another increase in ED presentations during the December 2021 quarter, our staff were able to achieve a median waiting time of 28 minutes."
She said that was "an excellent result under the circumstances".
