"The Torres Strait Health Service District owes it to the patients and staff to do better and come up with a plan that works."

The comments come after an internal Queensland Health report, released by the state opposition, found bells were issued to patients due to failures with the nurse call and emergency call systems while Thursday Island Hospital’s only operating theatre was out of commission due to ongoing ceiling water leaks.

A birth suite had been converted into a temporary operating theatre but it was not compliant with occupational therapy standards, the report said, while problems were also identified with air conditioning systems, fire safety, security, staff housing and accommodation.

Ms Hawksworth said nurses from the island had contacted the union about the ongoing maintenance issues and the breakdown of equipment at the hospital, which resulted in some patients being transferred to Cairns.

The nurses’ outcry prompted the union to write to the Director General of Health in early January.

"Our members were angry and frustrated with the difficulties not only about the building and maintenance issues but also because it was an inconvenience to patients who would normally have been able to be cared for on Thursday Island," she said.