November 30, 2018
Opposition Leader and Member for Nanango Deb Frecklington says Health Minister Steven Miles has refused to answer questions about continued and lengthy delays for the reimbursement of Patient Travel Subsidy Scheme for people in the South Burnett.
Mrs Frecklington said the answer to her Question on Notice asking why the unacceptable delays keep occurring had fallen on deaf ears.
“The answer from the Minister for Health is simply unacceptable, and actually quite insulting for my community,” Mrs Frecklington said.
“I have been trying to get answers on this issue for nearly a year now, but this out-of-touch Minister clearly has no regard for the South Burnett and the frustration this is causing people who are waiting too long for their Patient Travel Subsidy reimbursement.
“He hasn’t addressed three out of my five questions, in particular, why patients continue to experience these lengthy delays, and the current wait times to receive a reimbursement.
“In fact, the Minister should be apologising for this debacle, and committing to provide a better service and in the future.
“South Burnett locals ring my office every day to ask why their PTSS are taking so long to be reimbursed. Some have waited up to six months for their payments and this is just simply unacceptable.
“I don’t think the Minister understands that this is not a choice for people from the South Burnett.
“People must travel at least two hours to see a specialist or undergo surgery, as most specialist services are not available at the Kingaroy Public Hospital.
“The Minister has an obvious disregard for how important these payments are, and how the delay in receiving this reimbursement seriously affects the most vulnerable members of the community, many of whom are pensioners and are undergoing treatment for cancers and other serious conditions.”
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Mrs Frecklington’s question to the Minister:
With reference to Patient Travel Subsidy Scheme claims lodged in the South Burnett, and current, lengthy wait times for patients applying for the subsidy —
Will the Minister advise in relation to these claims:
(a) Where they are currently being processed,
(b) How many staff are assigned to processing these claims,
(c) The current wait time for reimbursement of these claims,
(d) Why there has been ongoing, lengthy delays with the reimbursement of these claims, and
(e) What strategies are being put in place to clear the backlog and process these claims according to the proper timeframes?
Health Minister Steven Miles’ answer:
Patient Travel Subsidy Scheme (PTSS) claims for the South Burnett region are processed at Kingaroy Hospital in the Darling Downs Health and Hospital Service. Darling Downs HHS has temporarily increased staffing for the processing of claims from 1.2 FTE to 3.2 FTE. This is expected to address the current backlog of applications.
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