The state government says more than 1.39 million people presented at EDs between July 1 2020 and January 31, 2021, an 11.6 per cent increase over the previous period.

Health Minister Yvette D’Ath says despite demand increasing, all patients in category one or immediately life-threatening situations are being seen within the recommended two minutes of arriving.

“Our public hospitals are seeing more patients presenting to emergency departments than ever before,” she said in a statement on Monday.

“I want to thank our hardworking frontline healthcare workers who go above and beyond to care for Queenslanders every single day.”

Opposition Health spokeswoman Ros Bates warned while the figures initially appeared positive for the government, regional patients were suffering.

She said almost one in four patients turning up at the emergency departments outside Brisbane and the Gold Coast were not seen within recommended timeframes in December 2020, a three per cent increase on December 2019.

Bates also said ramping, a practice where patients arriving by ambulance are triaged in hospital driveways due to emergency department congestion, had jumped five per cent since December 2019.

She said almost one in three people taken to regional hospitals via ambulance were being ramped, with the rate closer to one in two on the Sunshine Coast.

“As a nurse, I know how exhausting it can be for doctors and nurses working long hours under immense pressure on the frontline,” Bates said in a statement.

“Hospital staff across Queensland are sick of being ignored by the state government and their refusal to properly resource our hospitals.

“All Queenslanders, no matter where they live deserve a world class health system, not second-rate healthcare.”

“The minister must urgently travel to the regions and listen to staff and outline her plan to improve wait times.”

D’Ath said the government was still rebuilding the state’s healthcare system after 4400 staff were made redundant under the previous Liberal National Party government five years earlier.

She said $25 million had been budgeted for more bed capacity in 2020-21 with $15 million of that already allocated to hospital and health services.

“For the LNP to suggest that patients are in the back of ambulances without treatment shows a lack of understanding and is an insult to our hard-working paramedics and Queensland Health staff,” Ms D’Ath said.