Countdown to the day we ve all been waiting for qt.com.au - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from qt.com.au Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Hospital funding desperately needed
There was one major development and another two important updates regarding hospitals in the West Moreton region this week.
Arguably the most important of these was the announcement of a new 174-bed public hospital section to be added onto the existing Mater Private Hospital at Springfield.
The new public hospital will include an emergency department, intensive care unit and maternity services, with the state government to contribute $177 million to construction. Inspections of the extensions at Ipswich Hospital. Picture: West Moreton Health
With about 100,000 new residents expected to call Springfield and Ripley Valley home over the next five years, and Ipswich Hospital already operating flat out, there is no doubt these facilities will be desperately needed.
Premium Content
Subscriber only
There has been an increased number of Mackay residents opting for private emergency care, according to figures released on Thursday.
The emergency care centre at Mater Private Hospital has reported a 36 per cent increase on patients treated over the 2019-20 period.
With almost 4700 opting for care at the private hospital in 2020-21, the total Mackay residents now treated in the emergency department at Mater has almost reached 23,000.
Mater executive officer Beth Thomas said patients appreciated the level of care provided along with minimal wait times.
“Our emergency centre is gaining more patients as the community becomes aware of this new service,” Thomas said.