Flu crisis puts Redland Hospital on bypass 

The 'flu has been blamed for Redland Hospital being put on bypass for 13 hours from 6pm on Thursday to 7.30am on Friday.

The spread of the virus has been so widespread in the past week in south-east Queensland, that only the Royal Brisbane and Women's Hospital and the Royal Children's emergency departments remained open full time.

It is believed Logan Hospital also went on bypass from 2am on Thursday intermittently for 18 hours, Caboolture from midnight intermittently for 15 hours, The Prince Charles from 11am on Thursday for four hours and the QEII from 1pm to 6pm on Thursday and 2am on Friday until mid-morning.

Princess Alexandra also went on bypass for two hours from 6pm on Thursday.

Queensland Health figures showed public hospitals in the Brisbane area went on bypass for a total of 70 hours in the past two days.

Bypass is when ambulances are diverted to the next nearest hospital because of a backlog.

Health Minister Lawrence Springborg last month said he wanted to end the practice.

Metro South Health chief executive Richard Ashby blamed "the sheer volume" of patients for southside hospitals going on bypass.

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