Queensland's health minister says state government cuts have made the health system better, but the commonwealth's decision to pull funding has led to non-urgent surgeries being slashed.

Lawrence Springborg's comments - the latest in the blame game over funding between the two governments - come after the commonwealth announced it would bypass the Victorian government and directly fund that state's hospitals to the tune of $107 million.

Federal Health Minister Tanya Plibersek has foreshadowed a similar move in Queensland.

Mr Springborg says he'd welcome the measure, as the state would get back about $103 million it lost in federal cuts halfway through the financial year.

He says the state government has made no secret about its desire to "streamline" the health system's bureaucracy to focus on frontline services.

Hospital boards have been working towards set targets.

But the commonwealth's decision to cut funding late last year threw a spanner in the works, Mr Springborg said.

"It's a bit like this: If you've been given 12 months to lose 30kg, you can make a plan," he told reporters in Brisbane on Thursday.

"If you've been given six months to lose 30kg, you have a totally different plan.

"Our hospitals knew what the state government's expectations were."

Mr Springborg said a "half-cocked" Ms Plibersek might be breaching funding arrangements by paying hospital administrators directly, but he would consider agreeing to a similar model if required.

"I don't really care how the money goes into the hospitals, just as long as it comes back," he said.

Ms Plibersek said any surgery cuts were a result of the state government slashing $3 billion from its health budget in an effort to reduce debt.

She said her government has given $155 million more to Queensland this year compared with last year.

"You have to ask, if we give more money to Queensland Health, how can they possibly be doing less with it?" she told the ABC.

But federal opposition health spokesman Peter Dutton said Queensland and NSW just want to be treated fairly and were questioning why Victoria has received special treatment.

"Patients in Queensland hospitals that have been told they can't have elective surgery, or their beds are going to be closed, or their doctors are going to be sacked, are rightly angry," he said.