Local member Stephen Bennett has tabled a petition in Parliament to see a Pain Management Clinic return to Bundaberg.
Mr Bennett said it’s worrying to see dozens of people who are suffering chronic pain across the region have nowhere to go, with the closest pain specialist over 250 kilometres away.
“Regional and rural patients are seeing their health deteriorate under a Labor Government,” said Mr Bennett.
“The closure of the Pain Management Clinic in Bundaberg has left patients with no options.
“Their health is worsening and they’re being forced to travel hundreds of kilometers for a face to face consultation.
“Many residents who are in severe pain have come to me, asking if there’s anything we can do, with the closest specialist in Nambor.
Mr Bennett said it’s time for the Palaszczuk Government to cough up the vital funds needed for a Pain Management Specialist at the Bundaberg Hospital to support sufferers of chronic pain conditions.
“More than 500 people have signed a petition calling on labor to act now to put a stop to the pain and distress residents are going through.”
Bundaberg local John Fidden suffers from chronic pain and said when he visits any hospital he sees a lot of people in pain.
“A well-known specialist has told me there is lot of pain in Wide Bay, local GP’s do the best they can but treatment requires the skill of a highly skilled specialist,” said Mr Fidden.
Another local sufferer of chronic pain said about 12 months ago she was trialled on a new medication.
“The side effects were horrendous and I couldn’t see my specialist face to face to show him what was happening,” she said.
“It took six weeks of suffering in excruciating pain before they could alter my medication.
“People who suffer from chronic pain don’t often suffer for very long as their life is usually limited, so time is quite honestly of the essence.”
21-08-18