- The Crisafulli Government is delivering easier access to health services with Queensland's elective surgery waitlist dropping to its lowest level since November 2023.
- The latest figures show the elective surgery waitlist of 59,393, is nearly 10% lower than the same time last year.
- Ambulance ramping rates also continue to trend downwards with the statewide ramping rate 38 per cent in the March quarter.
- The Prince Charles Hospital and the Royal Brisbane and Women's Hospital have recorded their lowest March quarter rates in more than five years.
- The Crisafulli Government is turning the tide and healing Labor's Health Crisis.
The Crisafulli Government is healing Labor's Health Crisis, with new data showing the elective surgery waitlist has fallen to its lowest level in more than two years, alongside continued improvements in ambulance ramping across Queensland. The latest March figures show Queensland's elective surgery waitlist is 59,393 which is the lowest level since November 2023, and includes:
A 9.3 per cent decrease compared to the same time last year of 65,483
7,200 fewer patients than the 2024 peak of 66,632.
This improvement comes after Labor allowed the elective surgery waitlist to surge year-on-year, leaving tens of thousands of Queenslanders waiting longer for the care they need. The Crisafulli Government's record $1.8 billion investment over four years to improve access to elective surgery is driving results, including through the Surgery Connect program, which has delivered more than 33,500 procedures since February 2025. Significant waitlist reductions between March 2025 and March 2026 include:
Maryborough Hospital: down 44.6 per cent
Hervey Bay Hospital: down 29.5 per cent
Bundaberg Base Hospital: down 27.2 per cent
Gold Coast University Hospital: down 25.5 per cent
Redcliffe Hospital: down 20.2 per cent
Logan Hospital: down 19 per cent
Queensland Children's Hospital: down 18.3 per cent.
These reductions are being seen not just in major metropolitan hospitals, but right across regional Queensland, meaning more Queenslanders can access surgery closer to home, without needing to travel long distances or wait extended periods. Encouragingly, ambulance ramping is continuing to trend downward, despite sustained demand across the health system, with the statewide ramping rate falling to 38 per cent in the March quarter, down from 40.7 per cent at the same time last year. This means paramedics are getting back on the road faster, patients are being transferred to emergency departments sooner, and Queenslanders are receiving more timely care when they need it most. Some major hospitals have recorded their lowest March quarter ramping levels in more than five years, including:
The Prince Charles Hospital: down 4.4 percentage points compared to the March quarter last year
Royal Brisbane and Women's Hospital: down 6.0 percentage points compared to the March quarter last year.
These green shoots come as the Crisafulli Government's fully funded Hospital Rescue Plan progresses, delivering more beds and new and expanded hospitals, as well as 10 new and expanded transit lounges to improve patient flow, freeing up beds sooner, easing pressure on emergency departments, and helping Queenslanders get the care they need faster. Minister for Health and Ambulance Services Tim Nicholls said the data showed the Crisafulli Government was beginning to turn the tide on Labor's decade of decline. "We are healing Labor's Health Crisis, and these latest results show we are on the right path," Minister Nicholls said. "After Labor allowed the elective surgery waitlist to blow out, we made a commitment to stabilise it, and now we're seeing that work deliver real results for Queenslanders. "There are now around 7,200 fewer Queenslanders waiting in limbo for life-changing procedures and more Queenslanders getting back to living their lives sooner. "The Crisafulli Government's $1.8 billion investment in elective surgery, including Surgery Connect, is delivering faster care in high-demand areas like ophthalmology, ENT, urology and orthopaedics. "We are also seeing encouraging improvements in ambulance ramping, even as our emergency departments continue to see very high demand. "That means ambulances are returning to the community sooner and Queenslanders can have greater confidence that help will arrive when they need it. "We know there is more work to do, and we are not pretending this will be fixed overnight after a decade of decline under Labor. "But through our fully funded Hospital Rescue Plan and patient flow initiatives, we are delivering more beds, expanding services and ensuring Queenslanders have easier access to health care, no matter where they live."
