The Queensland Audit Office report exposed a $2 billion maintenance backlog, record ambulance ramping at 44.7 per cent and ballooning elective surgery waitlists, which have grown by 30 per cent over nine years to surpass 64,000 patients.
Compounding the problems is outdated infrastructure including air conditioning systems 30 years past their use-by date and frequent breakdowns in critical medical equipment.
"The (union) have been raising the issues reported in the AG report for many years," said Queensland Nurses and Midwives Union secretary Sarah Beaman, who emphasised the need for retaining skilled staff.
"Nurses and midwives know safe numbers of skilled nurses means vastly improved patient outcomes, reduced morbidity, and millions of dollars in saved taxpayer funds," Ms Beaman said.
A big maintenance backlog and growing wait times have been identified in the health system audit. (Dan Himbrechts/AAP PHOTOS)
Premier David Crisafulli and Health Minister Tim Nicholls described the findings as evidence of a "broken" system inherited from the previous Labor government.
"As far as auditor-general reports go, it doesn't get much more damning than this," Mr Crisafulli said.
"If we don't maintain the assets we have, it will cost Queenslanders far more in the years ahead."
Mr Nicholls cited infrastructure failures including radiation oncology equipment breaking down 32 times in a year, and reverse osmosis systems shutting down operating theatres.
The government pledged to tackle ambulance ramping, which cost more than 157,000 hours last year - equivalent to 18 years of ambulance time.
"This isn't going to be an overnight fix, but we are prioritising measures that will help patients move from ambulances to emergency care faster," Mr Nicholls said.
The government aims to reduce ramping to below 30 per cent by 2028, and the health minister also said elective surgery waitlists would be stabilised by October 2025.
"We are committed to ensuring more people get the surgeries they need," he said.
Health Minister Tim Nicholls warns the problems will not be fixed overnight. (Jono Searle/AAP PHOTOS)
Labor defended its record, pointing to significant investments during its tenure.
"The capital program obviously works to reduce your maintenance budget. So we did both," said former health minister Shannon Fentiman.
"We had an 11 per cent increase to our Queensland Health budget, $28 billion, and we gave more money to the HHS (Hospital and Health Services) for maintenance."
Ms Fentiman criticised the government's decision to scrap the workforce attraction incentive scheme.
"How are they going to continue to attract the staff we need?" she said.
The union emphasised the need for improved pay and working conditions, with ongoing negotiations critical to securing these reforms.
The government also announced plans to introduce real-time hospital data reporting by February 2025.
Mr Crisafulli assured Queenslanders that funding would be spent appropriately.
"Every cent of the maintenance budget will be spent where it is needed," he said.
"This report forms the basis for the work we will do to turn around a broken system."
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