Queensland Regional Health Resilience Package directs funds to Cairns Hospital and clinics

The Queensland government’s 2026 Regional Health Resilience Package provides $28 million over four years for far north Queensland health services, with the largest share directed to Cairns Hospital and community clinics in the Cairns Regional Council area.

The package forms part of the state’s updated disaster preparedness measures after the 2024-25 cyclone season, when health facilities in the wet tropics recorded more than 1200 additional presentations linked to storm-related injuries and evacuations.

Changes for Cairns residents

Residents in suburbs such as Manoora, Westcourt and Gordonvale will see extended operating hours at three primary health centres from August, with the addition of two extra nurses per shift funded through the package. Tourism workers on the northern beaches will have access to a new after-hours telehealth line that connects directly to Cairns Hospital emergency staff, reducing the need for travel into the city centre during peak wet-season road closures.

First Nations residents served by the Wuchopperen Health Service in Cairns will receive dedicated funding for mobile clinics that visit Yarrabah and surrounding communities twice weekly, focusing on chronic disease checks that have previously been disrupted by flooding.

The legislation states that 35 per cent of the package must support Pacific Island community outreach programs, including vaccination and maternal health services for families living in Cairns’ southern suburbs.

Next steps

Local health service providers must submit detailed implementation plans by 31 August 2026, with the first quarterly progress report due to the Queensland Health Department in October. The government says the policy will result in an additional 4800 patient contacts per year across the Cairns health catchment once fully operational.