KATTER’S Australian Party (KAP) candidate for Callide, Adam Burling, is calling for the Queensland State government to commit funding to improve mobile medical services in the region to overcome the “tyranny of distance” faced by many of the region’s residents.   

Mr Burling said patient transportation to Rockhampton and Gladstone for procedures such as routine CT imaging was reportedly tying up 44 ambulances on average per week, services desperately needed in the district for emergency retrievals.     

However, Mr Burling says installing more equipment in regional hospitals was not the only answer.    

“A CT machine in Biloela would help, but falls short of solving the logistical issues faced by the vast majority of residents in the smaller communities dotted throughout the Callide electorate.     

“We have an ageing population relying on the good-will of neighbours to get them to critical healthcare appointments on a road network in a permanent state of disrepair, who need services to come to as close as where they are as possible.”   

Mr Burling said bumping up the reach of existing mobile health services, such as provided by Heart of Australia, would fill crucial gaps in health coverage, but requires significant support from Queensland Health to achieve.   

“The mobile units are converted B-doubles and have CT and X-ray imaging onboard as well as clinical consultation rooms, and already travel to a small handful of places in this electorate along the southern and northern parts, but completely neglect everywhere in between.”   

Mr Burling said advocacy does work, and points to the intense lobbying by retired coal miners who overcame the lethargy of the State Labor Government, which dragged its feet on funding mobile services for surveillance health assessments of coal workers.   

“The State Labor Government wanted to maintain the status quo of requiring those looking for health surveillance and a diagnosis of black lung and silicosis to jump in their cars and take a two-day round trip to Rocky or Gladstone.   

“Pressure from retired miners got that situation fixed, but now we need to turn our attention to the rest of the public who lack access to reliable health care.”   

With regional health care ranking as a major issue in the June 18 by-election, Mr Burling also says broken promises by the Queensland State Labor government have needlessly endangered lives, pointing to the government’s failure to follow through on re-directing slashed maternity funding to aged care in Theodore.   

“The residents of Theodore deserve someone who will stand up and find answers as to why that funding never got to critical aged care as initially promised in compensation for losing maternity.   

“As far as the people of Theodore and district go they’ve been short-changed at either end of the age spectrum, losing maternity services and now still facing the shortage of critical aged care services they had before.”   

Mr Burling said he would also fight for more renal services in the electorate, by advocating for local access to dialysis chairs in regional hospitals, and appropriate supports for residents to have dialysis services in the home. 

KAP candidate lays out health priorities