Two satellite hospitals have been promised for Logan within the last two weeks, with one planned for the significantly underserved area of Yarrabilba.
The catch: it’s likely the facility will only be built if the Labor state government is re-elected in October.
The $78 million hospital will, just like the Beenleigh satellite hospital pledge made only a week earlier, include a minor injury and illness clinic to deliver walk-ins and urgent care.
Both projects are to prepare the region’s health and emergency services for the growth boom anticipated to hit the city over the next 20 years.
In the case of Yarrabilba, it is also hoped the satellite hospital will provide “much-needed” free and close healthcare options to a growing number of desperate families.
Yarrabilba mum Christina said having more accessible healthcare close to home would be a “tremendous benefit” to her family.
“When things go wrong, it’s a long trip right now to get help,” she said.
“I’m really looking forward to this asset to the community and the jobs it’s going to create.”
A MyCity Logan article earlier this year highlighted a report showing only one in four GPs in Logan bulk-billed all their patients.
The closest bulk-billing GP for residents in and around Yarrabilba was in Tamborine.
In the large area of Logan west with Crestmead to the north and west of Mount Warren Park to the south, there are only three bulk-billing GPs.
Even Queensland premier Steven Miles conceded it was “difficult to get a GP appointment around here”.
“We drove past Logan Hospital about half an hour ago, which I think underlines how far away those hospital services are,” he said.
Secretary of the Queensland Nurses and Midwives’ Union, Sarah Beaman, said the satellite hospitals would be a “major win”.
“This means the staff in the emergency departments and hospitals can focus on providing emergency care because the non-life-threatening injuries and illnesses can be seen at these satellite hospitals,” she said.
“Access to free, high-quality healthcare in their local area when they need it is an amazing win for the community.”
Health minister Shannon Fentiman didn’t say where the hospital would be built, but confirmed the government would aim to start construction “as soon as possible” if re-elected.
Logan MP Linus Power said he had advocated for a satellite hospital in the area since they were first talked about.
“When we built the first tranche, I saw how successful they were – how they actually helped patients who needed urgent but not emergency care,” Mr Power said.
He said the satellite hospitals helped cancer patients who previously needed to travel a long distance for treatment – “especially out here” in Yarrabilba – to access care closer to home.
