Queensland’s Health Minister says Cairns Hospital can bring down it $80 million deficit “without disturbing too many services”.

The Cairns Hospital board quit in September after an independent audit that forecast an $80 million operating deficit for the 2016-17 financial year.

Two executives from the Cairns and Hinterland Hospital and Health Service (CHHHS) - people and culture executive director Caroline Wagner and information, strategy and planning, executive director Brad McCulloch - resigned after the budget blackhole was revealed and are yet to be permanently replaced.

At the time, the Together Union said hospital was purging itself in order to start afresh, but CHHHS chief executive Clare Douglas says no other executives are leaving.

Mr Dick was asked by Cairns MP Rob Pyne in Parliament if the hospital’s current budget allocation would meet local needs.

“We think we can get the $80 million deficit down without disturbing too many ­services in Cairns,” Mr Dick said.

“We are confident of that.

“We will work forward now through the administrator and the executive about building service planning for the future, but within budget and within the service agreement we have with them.”