On the eve of the NSW State Election, and after 12 years in Government, Dominic Perrottet has decided to wash his hands of any responsibility for the crisis facing the New South Wales healthcare system and pass the buck.
Reports today the Premier is calling on the federal government to implement reforms and provide additional funding indicate the Liberal National Government have no plan to reform and fix the ailing healthcare in New South Wales.
And the people of NSW are right to ask – who will be the next health minister to fix this mess with the retirement of Brad Hazzard?
Of course, conversations between Federal and State Governments around funding arrangements are important, but that is not an excuse to pull the wool over the eyes of NSW voters that this is a government that has neglected our health system for 12 years.
After 12 years, they just don’t get it. Dominic Perrottet and the NSW Liberals record on health is sobering:
- It took over 15 hours 25 minutes for 90% of patients to depart from emergency departments – almost double the clinical recommended benchmark of eight hours.
- Over 2 million patients left emergency departments without being admitted or referred in the last year alone.
- Half of patients with the highest category emergency did not start treatment on time. In Western Sydney this increased to seven out of every ten patients.
- A quarter of patients who arrived to emergency departments in an ambulance waited longer than 30 minutes in the back of an ambulance.
Since 2015-2016 NSW has lost 365 beds, while at the same time Victoria increased capacity by 598 beds and Queensland by 1,027.
NSW also has the second fewest number of paramedics in Australia.
It’s clear, Premier Dominic Perrottet should be spending his time coming up with policies and solutions to fix what is undoubtedly a crisis in our healthcare system, rather then looking for someone else to take the blame for his mess.
NSW Labor have a plan for long term reform of our health system.
A Minns Labor Government will:
- Introduce minimum and enforceable safe staffing levels to public hospitals, starting with emergency departments. The proposal will see an additional 1,200 nurses and midwives recruited into the system in the first four years of a Labor Government – over and above any existing hiring.
- Recruit an additional 500 paramedics to regional and rural communities in the first term of government – over and above any existing hiring.
- Implement all recommendations of the rural health inquiry.
- Expand and upgrade Fairfield Hospital.
- Expand and upgrade Canterbury Hospital.
- Open Eurobodalla Hospital at level four status.
Provide $17 million in funding for Kids helpline, and commit to introducing suicide prevention legislation
It’s time for a fresh start for our health system and a fresh start for New South Wales.
RYAN PARK MP
NSW SHADOW MINISTER FOR HEALTH
