Doctors step up in bid to tackle Qld's 'hidden waiting lists'

Queensland peak medical body sets up task force to address 'waiting list' for surgery waitlist Fri 7 Aug 2026 at 12:12pm In short: Australian Medical Association Queensland has set up a new taskforce to tackle the state's "waiting list to get on the waiting list" for surgery. Queensland's deputy premier says the government is "doing everything we can to reduce the waiting lists". What's next? AMAQ's working group will deliver recommendations to the government in early 2027. Queensland's peak medical body has taken matters into its own hands to try and address the ballooning "waiting list to get on the waiting list". The state government consistently champions a reduction in the surgery waitlist, with just over 60,000 people waiting as of May, slightly down on the same time last year. But the Australian Medical Association Queensland (AMAQ) noted the number of people waiting to get onto that list had skyrocketed to more than 362,000, up 15 per cent from a year ago. AMAQ president associate professor Erica Gannon said a new task force will aim to tackle the issue. "We know patients are spending months and sometimes years waiting just to find out what care they need," she said. "This working group is AMA Queensland's contribution to finding sensible solutions that will support more patients being seen." The six-member group, comprised of doctors across specialities and Queensland, will be chaired by former AMAQ president Dr Nick Yim. "As a GP in regional Queensland, I'm acutely aware that local public hospitals are not keeping up with the number of patients being referred to them," he said. "We have incredible professionals working across our state, but as our population grows and ages, we are grappling with more complex conditions. "Seeing hidden waiting lists continue to grow is alarming for patients who deserve timely and appropriate care no matter where they live." 'Doing everything we can' Deputy Premier Jarrod Bleijie was asked why it was the responsibility of doctors, rather than the government, to address systemic health issues. "The government's doing everything we can to reduce the waiting lists, and we have seen some success in that regard," he said. "We've been in office for just over a year and a half. I think reasonable people, reasonable Queenslanders, would forgive us for being in office for a year and a half, tackling these big issues, where we are seeing the results coming through." Dr Yim highlighted the health system pressure felt in his hometown of Hervey Bay, symptomatic of strain across regional Queensland. More than 14,000 patients were waiting to see a specialist in May, and almost 60 per cent of the most urgent patients weren't seen within clinically recommended times. "That is almost 5,000 patients in Bundaberg and Hervey Bay in just a two-month period who weren't able to see a specialist close to where they live," he said. "Sadly, across Queensland, it isn't much better, with 25,539 Cairns patients waiting for an initial appointment and over 45 per cent of Category 1 patients not being seen within the clinically recommended time. "Central Queensland's wait list has jumped almost 46 per cent compared with last year while the number of initial appointments held has fallen 3.5 per cent, with only 38 per cent of all patients seen within clinically recommended times." The AMAQ outpatients working group will deliver recommendations to the government in early 2027. [Image text:] SHEMENS uTS kon