- The Crisafulli Government is delivering easier access to health services in the South West with a brand-new CT scanner and expanded medical imaging department.
- An additional $14.6 million upgrade of perioperative and sterilising services to address ageing infrastructure at Charleville Hospital marks one of the biggest investments in the hospital's history.
- The Queensland Audit Office warned Labor in 2020 of critical infrastructure deterioration and compliance risks across the State.
- After a decade of decline under Labor, the Crisafulli Government is delivering easier access to health services.
The Crisafulli Government is delivering easier access to health services in the South West, with much needed hospital upgrades set to strengthen services at Charleville Hospital. Charleville Hospital will receive a new CT scanner and an expanded medical imaging department, creating a centralised imaging hub bringing together CT, ultrasound and X-ray services in one new, purpose-built department. The expanded medical imaging department will enable serious medical conditions to be diagnosed earlier and treated sooner, reducing costly and time-consuming travel for patients. The new CT scanner is expected to deliver around 40 scans per month when first operational, before increasing to over 1,000 scans per year after its first year of service.
This is part of the Crisafulli Government's more than $270 million investment to deliver new diagnostic imaging technology to 11 locations across Queensland, including in rural and remote areas. The South West region will also benefit from a $14.6 million upgrade of perioperative and sterilising services at Charleville Hospital to address ageing infrastructure and improve operating theatre and sterilising facilities. The upgrades mark one of the biggest investments in the hospital's history and form part of the Crisafulli Government's fully funded Hospital Rescue Plan, delivering easier access to health services through new and expanded hospitals and more than 2,600 new beds across Queensland.
The Queensland Audit Office warned as far back as 2020 about the growing backlog of high-risk maintenance across Queensland Health facilities, yet the former Labor government failed to act. In Charleville, perioperative infrastructure had reached the end of useful life, resulting in theatre mechanical services failing numerous times. Despite the clear need, Labor failed to fund the refurbishment project and instead diverted funding to cover cost blowouts from its own unfunded project announcements, leaving critical upgrades to Charleville Hospital sitting idle. Minister for Health and Ambulance Services Tim Nicholls said that after a decade of decline under Labor that left regional communities facing years of delays and unfunded announcements, the Crisafulli Government was getting hospital planning and construction back on track. "Despite clear concerns being raised by the Queensland Auditor-General, Labor failed to act," Minister Nicholls said.
"The Crisafulli Government is delivering record investment in rural and remote healthcare across South West to ensure local communities have access to modern facilities and critical services, closer to home, and for years to come. "By bringing CT, ultrasound and X-ray services together in one location, we'll improve the patient journey and support more coordinated care." Member for Warrego Ann Leahy said the new CT scanner would improve access to critical diagnostic imaging and help ensure serious medical conditions can be identified earlier, without the need for long-distance travel.
"Labor robbed critical maintenance funding to pay for cost blowouts on city hospital projects, leaving facilities such as the Charleville Hospital to wither on the vine," Minister Leahy said.
"These upgrades to the operating theatre, pre and post-operative bays and sterilising services will also strengthen the hospital's ability to deliver surgical care locally and support the long-term future of health services in Charleville while broader planning continues."
