May 2, 2014
South Burnett residents received $1.3 million in patient travel subsidies in the first eight months of this financial year, the Darling Downs Hospital and Health Service (DDHHS) said today.
The Patient Travel Subsidy Scheme provides assistance to patients – and in some cases, their carers – to enable them to access specialist medical services that are not available locally.
A subsidy is provided to approved patients and carers to assist in the cost of travel and accommodation to the nearest specialist medical service that is more than 50 km from the patient’s nearest hospital.
For the period July 2013 to February 2014, the DDHHS paid out $4 million to enable more than 7500 South Burnett and Darling Downs residents to access these services.
In the South Burnett alone, more than 2700 patients have benefited from the scheme.
DDHHS Chief Executive Dr Peter Bristow said some of the major reasons for travel from the South Burnett were cardiology, medical oncology, orthopaedics, ophthalmology, and diagnostic radiology.
“Many of these patients were able to be treated in Toowoomba, but some patients were also provided with assistance to access specialist services in Brisbane.
“We do try where possible to provide services locally. For instance, last year we re-instated general surgical services at the Kingaroy Hospital after a six year break. As a result, more than three times as many patients received elective surgery at Kingaroy Hospital in 2013 than had been done in 2012.
“We have also expanded the hospital’s renal service so it now has the capacity to treat 18 patients. This means more locals are no longer required to make the trip to Toowoomba and back three times a week to access dialysis services.
“However, for other specialised services it is sometimes necessary for patients to travel to larger cities to receive the treatment they need. In these cases, the patient travel subsidy scheme is there to assist those who need to access services elsewhere.”
Southern Downs woman Mary Beach knows just what a blessing a travel subsidy scheme is for those who need to travel to receive treatment.
Mrs Beach was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2012 and had to travel from her home at Stanthorpe to Toowoomba several times per week to get chemotherapy.
She accessed the Patient Travel Subsidy Scheme (PTSS) to assist with the costs of this regular travel.
“I had someone to drive me and we’d try to share the load.
“The travel scheme was great because it gave you something towards your fuel costs as well as the wear and tear on your car.
“It meant that you could manage the travel without ruining the budget.”
She has now finished her regular treatment but still has to travel to Toowoomba several times per year for check-ups and preventative scans.
The Darling Downs Hospital and Health Service provides public health and hospital services to a population of approximately 265,000 across an area of 85,000 square kilometres including the Local Government Areas of Toowoomba, Western Downs, Southern Downs, South Burnett, Goondiwindi, Cherbourg and part of the Banana Shire Council.
It is managed by a local Hospital and Health Board.
From 1 January 2013, the Queensland Government doubled the PTSS mileage subsidy rate from 15 cents to 30 cents per kilometre and the accommodation subsidy rate from $30 to $60 per person per night when staying in commercial accommodation.
