Queensland Health

Queensland Health
Agency overview
Formed1859; 165 years ago (1859)[1]
JurisdictionQueensland Government
Headquarters1 William Street, Brisbane
EmployeesIncrease 102,037 FTE (2022–23)[2]
Annual budgetIncrease A$28.9 billion (2024–25)[3]
Minister responsible
Deputy Minister responsible
  • Brittany Lauga, Assistant Minister for Health and Regional Health Infrastructure
Agency executive
  • Michael Walsh, Director-General[4]
Websitehealth.qld.gov.au

Queensland Health is the public health system in Queensland, Australia, comprising sixteen statutory Hospital and Health Services, the Department of Health and Queensland Ambulance Service. Each HHS provides health services to its local area, with Children's Health Queensland supporting state-wide paediatric specialist services. The Department of Health provides corporate support such as payroll, finance, information technology and procurement, and provides clinical governance over the health system's operations. Queensland Health provides free or low-cost health services to Medicare card holders in Queensland, and some services to New South Wales and Northern Territory patients where services are unavailable locally.

The Queensland Government was the first state government to introduce free, universal public hospital treatment in 1946, a policy later adopted by other states and territories. Most HHS also have associated foundations or charities which raise discretionary funds to support medical research or non-clinical programs. Queensland Health employs over 102,037 FTE and has an annual operating budget of A$28.9 billion. At the end of June 2014, there were 11,109 inpatient beds available across all state hospitals, with 305 designed intensive care beds.[5][6]

  1. ^ "Queensland Health on Facebook". Facebook. 1 September 2016. Archived from the original on 26 February 2022. Retrieved 30 August 2020.
  2. ^ "Annual Report 2022-23" (PDF). Queensland Health. September 2023. Retrieved 13 September 2024.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  3. ^ "2024-25 Queensland Health budget". Queensland Health. 14 June 2024. Retrieved 13 September 2024.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  4. ^ "Director-General". Queensland Health. 20 September 2019. Retrieved 30 August 2020.
  5. ^ "Available beds and available bed alternatives as at 30 June, 2011/2012,2012/2013, 2013/2014". Open Data Portal. Queensland Government. 28 January 2015. Retrieved 15 April 2022.
  6. ^ Dennien, Matt (12 January 2022). "'Nine times more likely to end up in hospital': Qld CHO warns the unvaxxed". Brisbane Times. Retrieved 12 January 2022.