A doctors' lobby group has hit out at the LNP's promise to cancel pill testing at next month's Schoolies Week if the party wins government in Queensland on Saturday.

In its state election commitments score card, the Australian Medical Association Queensland (AMAQ) branch said it was disappointed with the LNP's pill testing stance, describing the measure as an important health intervention for young people "contemplating taking an unknown substance".

But the AMAQ also expressed frustration at the Labor Party's satellite hospitals and nurse-led walk-in clinics, describing the services as "unproven and costly", saying the money could be spent on existing hospitals and general practices.

The Miles government has budgeted more than $1.1 million for pill testing services for two years, ending in late 2025. That includes funding for fixed testing sites in Brisbane and on the Gold Coast, as well as events, such as Schoolies.

In a Stateline interview with the ABC's Jessica van Vonderen last weekend, the LNP's Ros Bates — who is expected to be named health minister if Opposition Leader David Crisafulli wins power on Saturday — made it clear pill testing would be scrapped at Schoolies under an LNP government. 

"There is no safe way to take a drug, and we have been very clear about that.

"I would like to see better education of our young people in the first place about how dangerous illicit drug taking is."

Asked about the two fixed existing pill testing sites at Bowen Hills, in Brisbane's inner north, and Burleigh, on the Gold Coast, Ms Bates said the LNP "would like to see the research", also warning the party would not guarantee pill testing at festivals if it won power.

AMAQ president Nick Yim described the LNP's view as "unfortunate", saying pill testing had been shown to prevent unintended harm in young adults.

He said the AMAQ would want to engage with the new government regarding pill testing at Schoolies "to ensure that we are protecting our children and also young adults".

Healthcare workforce crisis

Dr Yim said he was encouraged by both major parties' recognition of the need to tackle the healthcare workforce crisis, describing the issue as the AMAQ's number one priority.

Labor has pledged 46,451 more health workers by 2032, while the LNP has promised 34,200 across the same timeframe.

Dr Yim said Labor had promised to maintain grants of $40,000 each to encourage more doctors to specialise as general practitioners, while the LNP is pledging a regional approach to fast-track high school students into health careers.

Emergency department physician Shantha Raghwan said she did not favour one major party's health policies over the other.

Bed numbers and training

Speaking in her capacity as the Australasian College for Emergency Medicine Queensland faculty chair, Dr Raghwan said both Labor and the LNP understood a key to reducing ambulance ramping was increasing "safely staffed" bed numbers throughout hospitals.

"The OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development) recommends 4.3 to 4.9 beds per 1,000 patient population. In Queensland, we've got 2.5 — so almost half of what we should be having for our patients, and that's just not good enough for Queenslanders."

In addition to an extra 2,500 hospital beds statewide, the college also called for a $20 million increase in emergency medicine training and a boost to the number of hospital staff, particularly after hours.

"We only have to look at our colleagues in the United Kingdom or in the United States and their level of access block and difficulty accessing services to see where this could possibly go," Dr Raghwan said.

"We know what we can do to make sure it doesn't get to that point. So now is the time to act."