BRISBANE, Queensland, Nov. 10 -- The Queensland Department of the Premier and Cabinet issued text of the following statement:

JOINT STATEMENT

Premier and Minister for Veterans

The Honourable David Crisafulli

Minister for Health and Ambulance Services

The Honourable Tim Nicholls

* Rockhampton Hospital's new Cardiac Hybrid Theatre officially complete and welcoming patients. * The new $36.9 million facility will help CentralQueenslanders access specialist cardiac care when they need it, reducing the need to travel to Brisbane. * This project was saved by theCrisafulli Government after Labor failed to fully fund it during their decade of decline. * TheCrisafulli Government is delivering the Hospital Rescue Plan to help heal Labor's Health Crisis and deliver health services when Queenslanders need them.

Rockhampton Hospital will today welcome its first patients to the brand new Cardiac Hybrid Theatre, delivered under the Crisafulli Government's fully funded Hospital Rescue Plan.

The Cardiac HybridTheatre brings together a fully equipped interventional cardiology procedure room with advanced imaging technology, supporting a broader range of cardiac diagnostic and interventional procedures within a single space.

Starting with diagnostic procedures, including coronaryangiograms, the service will expand to include pacemakers and stents, reducing the need for patients to travel to South East Queensland for cardiac treatment by up to 80 per cent.

The highlyspecialised procedure room will treat nine patients per week in its first three months, with patient numbers expected to increase over the following months.

The $36.9 million expansion includes:

* A Cardiac Hybrid Theatre (Cardiac Catheterisation Laboratory) * Atransoesophageal echocardiogram procedure room * Six recovery bays * Six new inpatient beds, increasing the Cardiology Ward capacity to 12 beds  * An expanded Cardiac Investigations Unit with seven assessment and diagnostic spaces

The former Labor Government underfunded the project by more than $8 million, resulting in the Cardiac Hybrid Theatre itself and the supporting Coronary Care Unit being cut from the scope of works.

As part of theHospital Rescue Plan, the Crisafulli Government stepped in with additional funding to save this crucial project and ensure it is delivered in full.

It's just one of the ways theCrisafulli Government is delivering health services when Queenslanders need them, including building three new and 10 expanded hospitals across the State.

Premier DavidCrisafulli said the Government was delivering health services when Queenslanders need them.

"This is world-class cardiac care forRockhampton and health services when Central Queenslanders need them," Premier Crisafulli said.

"OurHospital Rescue Plan is delivering more hospital beds and more services across the State, for now and the future."

Health and Ambulance Servies Minister Tim Nicholls said the new specialist service was a major win for local cardiac patients, after initially being cut by Labor.

"This major milestone means people living inRockhampton, Yeppoon, Gladstone and wider Central Queensland communities will no longer have to travel to Brisbane for specialised cardiac procedures," Minister Nicholls said.

"This newtheatre would not have been delivered under Labor, after they quietly cut the project and never saw fit to tell the Central Queensland community."

Member forRockhampton Donna Kirkland said the service would build over coming months.

"Our community has watched on over the past months as this exciting new facility has taken shape, so it's very special to welcome the first patients through the Cardiac HybridTheatre," Mrs Kirkland said.

"This is just one of the ways ourHospital Rescue Plan is delivering for Rockhampton and Central Queensland, including a major expansion of the emergency department, which was likened to a 'war zone' during Labor's decade of decline."

Member for Keppel Nigel Hutton said the facility was led by specialist cardiologists working alongside a multidisciplinary team of nurses, cardiac physiologists, radiographers and support staff to deliver continuity of care across diagnosis, treatment and recovery. 

"The Cardiac HybridTheatre is an absolute game change for us here in Central Queensland," Mr Hutton said.

"The local clinicians working here at Rocky Hospital are so excited about this expansion to cardiology services because it means more efficient, coordinated,patient-centred care."

ENDS

MEDIA CONTACT: Torny Miller, 0439 426 196

Disclaimer: Curated by HT Syndication.