Media Release

This week KAP Member for Kennedy Mr Katter met with the Federal Health Minister to advocate the Mareeba GP shortage and in particular, the shortage of bulk billing GPs.

The Federal LNP Government plans to remove the funding for GPs (non-admitted) at the Mareeba Hospital.

The funding has allowed for the appointment of three additional doctors and four nurses at Mareeba Hospital, as well as six administrative staff. This is to provide a non-admitted, bulkbilling GP service from the hospital.

Mr Katter said, “Whilst on paper we have an adequate number of doctors the reality is a lot of poor people are overtaxing the resources of the hospital.

“Well now the State Government is going to be in a hell of a bind because their outpatients (doctors) are not going to be financed by the Federal Government anymore.

“The State Government will have a strong vested interest in forcing patients by interminable queues backing into the private system without the cheap bulk billing.

“The Federal Health Minister and the senior departmental official are going to see if they can come up with some alternative proposal.”