Regional NSW Loses Patience With Mr Rudd

In choosing to make the Royal North Shore Hospital the first stop on his tour of teaching hospitals the Prime Minister, Mr Rudd, could not have picked a better example of the ineptitude of a State Labor Government’s management of health dollars, said Senator Fiona Nash, Nationals’ Senator for NSW. “The second stop on this tour is Adelaide and Mr Rudd plans to visit another 23 teaching hospitals. When is he going to turn his attention to regional health and the chronic doctor shortage that faces so many towns? “Mr Rudd has not signalled which of the 123 recommendations in the National Health and Hospitals Reform Commission report he intends to act on but he is content to spend six months reviewing the report. He has already missed the June 30 deadline to take over the running of 750 public hospitals, promised before the 2007 election. “Regional areas are suffering under this endless round of consultations. Health service workers at Lismore and Tweed hospitals have this week protested about State Government plans to contract out in-house catering and cleaning services. Similar moves proved disastrous in city hospitals with bins overflowing and floors uncleaned. Many women in regional NSW have lost the ability to give birth in their home towns so have to travel while in labour or spend precious dollars on accommodation while waiting to give birth, often away from family support. “When will Mr Rudd get serious about health? Five minutes before the next election? If the Rudd Labor Government is not aware of how badly health services are being squeezed in regional areas perhaps we need to tell them again. “I invite all doctors, nurses, health care workers, patients and their families in regional areas to tell me about how chronic mismanagement has affected their healthcare. They deserve better than this so let’s tell Mr Rudd and the Health Minister, Ms Roxon, exactly how bad it is while the Labor State Government retains control of the purse strings.”

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