A division of the Liberal Party of Australia
Mareeba Hospital funding tug of war now resolved
18 January, 2012
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A tug of war between Mareeba Hospital and Queensland Health over almost $1 million in Medicare funding has been resolved after three months of wrangling.
Senator Ian Macdonald, Coalition spokesman on Northern and Remote Australia, stepped in to the dispute after a meeting with Cairns and Hinterland Health Service Acting Director of Medical Services Doctor Patrick O’Neill, concerned local citizens and LNP candidate for Cook, David Kempton, during a visit to Mareeba in October last year.
Sen. Macdonald wrote to Queensland Health and Federal Health Minister at the time, Nicola Roxon, asking why essential Medicare funding was being strangled by red tape, seriously impairing the efficient delivery of health care to residents of Mareeba and district.
The Senator also raised the matter with senior Canberra bureaucrats during Senate Estimates hearings.
“I’m still waiting for a response to my letters to Queensland Health which shows just how dysfunctional the department is under Anna Bligh’s leadership,” said Sen. Macdonald.
“They can’t even pay their staff properly, so it’s no surprise that they can’t pass on urgently needed Medicare funding to the Mareeba Hospital in a timely and professional manner.
“Mareeba Hospital would probably still be waiting for their rightful Medicare funding if the Commonwealth hadn’t intervened.”
Sen. Macdonald said he was impressed by the level of community concern about the issue in Mareeba and thanked David Kempton for arranging the meeting.