{"id":368158,"date":"2025-12-24T11:41:42","date_gmt":"2025-12-24T01:41:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/southburnett.com.au\/news2\/?p=368158"},"modified":"2025-12-24T11:42:26","modified_gmt":"2025-12-24T01:42:26","slug":"hospital-braces-for-holiday-surge","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/southburnett.com.au\/news2\/2025\/12\/24\/hospital-braces-for-holiday-surge\/","title":{"rendered":"Hospital Braces For Holiday Surge"},"content":{"rendered":"
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During the 2024 Christmas and New Year period, more than 600 people presented for treatment at Kingaroy Hospital<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

December 24, 2025<\/strong><\/p>\n

Darling Downs Health has urged South Burnett residents to take simple precautions to avoid unplanned trips to the Emergency Department.<\/p>\n

During the 2024 Christmas and New Year period, more than 600 people presented for treatment at Kingaroy Hospital.<\/p>\n

Emergency Nurse Unit Manager Dan Burke said the hospital experienced a surge in presentations between Christmas and New Year.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe see an increase of around 30 per cent in presentations over the festive season, mostly after Christmas Day,\u201d Mr Burke said.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cThis is when services are limited in rural areas, so we generally see more people coming in.\u201d<\/p>\n

Mr Burke said presentations during this time often include abdominal pain, chest pain and trauma-related injuries, many that can be preventable.<\/p>\n

\u201cMany of the chest and abdominal pain presentations are a result of overindulgence on Christmas Day and the gastro symptoms are often linked to poor food preparation and storage,\u201d Mr Burke said.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe also see an increase in injuries from intoxication and risk-taking, and in particular Boxing Day brings injuries which are sometimes a result of parents trying out kids\u2019 toys!\u201d<\/p>\n

Mr Burke encouraged people to consider other options for non-urgent care including:<\/strong><\/p>\n