General News
3 July, 2024
No room left at Alabaster House, says owner
The low-cost medical accommodation provider says demand is high in the peak season.
ALABASTER House co-founder Robyn Girdler said she has been forced to turn patient-clients away as she awaits a funding decision from the state government.
Mrs Girdler said Alabaster House struggled to meet the accommodation demands from remote patients during Townsville’s peak tourist seasons.
She said alternative options, such as hotel rooms, were often not available for patients as seasonal surges placed accommodation prices well above the $70 per night allocated under the Patient Travel Subsidy Scheme (PTSS).
A search revealed the price for a basic motel room in Townsville this week started at $212 per night whereas Alabaster House never exceeds the PTSS allocation.
Mrs Girdler said she was expecting a flood of phone calls from remote patients requiring help to attend medical appointments as the city ballooned with tourists ahead of the Townsville Supercars event.
She said the strain on resources had reiterated the need for funding from the state government.
As previously reported, Mrs Girdler and husband Graham have wanted to retire after managing Alabaster House for the past 15 years but required stable government funding to ensure the facility could be successfully offloaded to another not-for-profit operator.
Mrs Girdler has previously said up to 25 per cent of the annual operating expenses came from the personal savings of the founders.
A funding proposal from Alabaster House is currently being considered by State Health Minister Shannon Fentiman that would provide monies beyond the PTSS daily rate to ensure the facility doors could remain open.
Member for Thuringowa Aaron Harper, whose electorate includes Alabaster House, said he had made representations within government to ensure the facility would receive the support it required.
“I am confident this will be resolved with a continuation of the Alabaster service,” he said.
“I would like to see this resolved sooner rather than later to provide certainty for all those in remote Queensland that use this facility. I am 100 per cent in their corner.”