REDLAND, Beaudesert and Logan hospitals will all feel the pinch if predictions by the Australian Medical Association come true.
The association's latest hospitals report card, released on Thursday, suggested an imminent crisis due to $57 billion in federal funding cuts over eight years starting from 2017.
From that year, growth in federal funding would be restricted to the Consumer Price Index and population growth, both factors that would play against smaller regional hospitals.
Logan MP Linus Power said the funding cuts would affect services at Logan Hospital.
“The AMA reports what the Queensland government has been saying in regard to federal funding – that the cuts by the Commonwealth will have a huge impact on health services in Queensland, and Logan Hospital won’t be immune,’ he said.
“Logan is a growing area and it needs more support, but the federal government not growing their funding means there will be real pressure.”
Member for Wright Scott Buchholz and Bowman MP Andrew Laming both said any funding cuts for Beaudesert and Redland hospitals would not be felt this year as there had been no policy changes in the 2015-16 Budget or Mid-Year Economic and Fiscal Outlook.
Mr Laming said hospital spending under the Turnbull government would increase each year over the next four years by $3.3 billion or about 21.5 per cent.
Cleveland MP Mark Robinson said he was not aware of any cuts in federal funding to any regional hospital, including Redland, but said the 2015-16 State Budget had no new funding for the hospital.
"My understanding is that the federal health funding continues to increase every year," he said.
"But it is disgusting that the Labor state government has imposed an infrastructure freeze on Redland Hospital from state funding."
Another factor that boded poorly for smaller regional hospitals, according to the AMA, was an increase in demand for hospital services after the federal government slashed Medicare payments for diagnostic services by $650 million.
However, on Thursday, the state unveiled a $35 million innovation fund to provide more targeted services to patients and cut hospital waiting times.
Health Minister Cameron Dick said the new fund would lead to better cooperation between GPs, hospitals and medical clinics, making hospitals more efficient.
The AMA report also found 68 per cent of emergency department patients classified as urgent were seen within the recommended 30 minutes but bed number ratios had deteriorated.
Elective surgery waiting times, treatment targets and other applicable benchmarks were largely unchanged at all three hospitals over the past financial year.
