Thursday, 17 November 2022
WHEN the Rural Health Petition was launched, it saw communities and individuals from right across the region come together to demand better quality health services.
With more than 16,000 people now having put pen to paper in support, it is a powerful and undeniable example of people power about one of our most important regional services.
Our local community groups, sporting clubs, businesses and determined individuals ensured that every person had the opportunity to sign the Petition – all right behind the push to split the Hunter New England Health District (reinstating the former New England Area Health Service), directly employ doctors in our rural hospitals – to ensure when you visit an Emergency Department there is a doctor present to treat you – and dramatically increase nursing numbers.
The petition will be debated on the floor of the NSW Parliament today at 4pm. The debate will be live streamed and I encourage those interested to view it on the Parliament’s webcast page, which you can visit via www.parliament.nsw.gov.au/Pages/webcasts.aspx – and choose the ‘Legislative Assembly’ option.
Our demands are very clear and represent three tangible solutions to the crisis we are experiencing in rural and regional health care:
- Split the existing Hunter New England Health District and re-instate the former New England Area Health Service, based in Tamworth;
- Directly employ doctors in our rural hospitals – something that has never been done before and would ensure when people visit their local Emergency Department a doctor is available to see them; and
- Dramatically increase the number of nurses working in our hospitals, especially nurse practitioners, to be support the medical staff workforce.
It will be my greatest honour as the Member for Northern Tablelands to speak up and speak out on behalf of the many communities across our region this afternoon on the floor of Parliament, ensuring that our collective voice is heard and send the strongest possible message to the government that changes must be made and they must be made now!