Health Minister Lawrence Springborg launches health blueprint for Queensland, Wayne Swan says it's an attack on Medicare Health Minister Lawrence Springborg has urged Queenslanders to "get on the train or get under it" when delivering a health blueprint for the state today. HEALTH Minister Lawrence Springborg has delivered a health blueprint for the state at a luncheon in Brisbane, urging Queenslanders to "get on the train or get under it." A key feature of the new plan for the state's healthcare will be the delivery of a larger range of health services through public, private and not-for-profit health providers and partnerships. Earlier, people attending the health blueprint launch were met by hundreds of protesters as they arrived at the Sofitel Hotel. That will include the potential for private sector involvement in building new elective surgery centres to clear waiting lists, separating elective surgery from emergency surgery procedures at the Royal Children's Hospital and private sector involvement in the Gold Coast University Hospital for the provision of radiation oncology services. Awards and entitlements covering 80,000 Queensland Health workers will also be streamlined from the existing nine awards, six agreements and 189 human resouce policies. Senior health officers will also be transferred from outdated awards to competitive contracts. The complicated system of awards for health workers was one factor adding to the Queensland Health payroll debacle. Other features include: The creation of a new Ministerial health Infrastructure Council to serve as a portal for private investment in health services and infrastructure. Establishing a Contestibility Branch to test whether business units within Queensland Health are competitive to maximise health services. A review of the Health Services Information Agency to achieve a more open and transparent IT policy. Plans have also been unveiled for a new Rural Telehealth Service to boost health services and facilities in small country towns. The service was a product of difficulties in keeping the services running at rural hospitals including Moura and Eidsvold. Under the new service, residents will be able to phone participating facilities up to 24 hours a day to access emergency staff and other clinicians at the state's best hospitals. Mr Springborg said six remote trial sites would be linked to major Queensland hospitals to pioneer the initiative in 2013. Federal Treasurer Wayne Swan has responded to the proposals, describing the plan as an attack on the free public hospital system. "This is a real threat to Medicare," Mr Swan said. They (the Newman Government) have taken a sledge hammer if you like to Queensland health and to its employees. Today we now hear the Newman Government is going to outsource or privatise wholesale functions within Queensland Health. This really puts a fundamental question about the commitment of the Liberal National Party to this fundamental concept of Medicare, that people have access to quality health care in a free public hospital system. That is now clearly under threat from the LNP in Queensland. Mr Swan said the Commonwealth would do "everything we can" to ensure patient care was not impacted. "The Prime Minister last year signed an agreement with all of the state Premiers to substantially increase funding for public hospital care and that has now been directly threatened by the actions not only of the Newman Government but also the Victorian Liberal Government as well," Mr Swan said. We will do everything we can within the legal framework that we had signed with these governments to stop these things from happening. reporting by Janelle Miles, Kelmeny Fraser and Sarah Vogler