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June 12, 2015AMA (NSW) President: small changes can yield big health results
July 3, 2015AMA (NSW) President, Dr Saxon Smith is welcoming the record health spend in the State Budget.
“The State Government is keeping pace with its previous commitments to health.
“There are two parts to health funding: infrastructure and the recurrent spending you need to keep hospitals operating.
“The recurrent investment is not quite at the level AMA (NSW) would like to see but it’s good to see the State Government keepings its promises on infrastructure.
“The 5.2 per cent increase in operational funding may not meet the increasing demand placed on the NSW health system, particularly in western and south western Sydney and the Central Coast.
“It’s important to note that in raw terms this is a record health budget but as a percentage of the State Government’s spending it has remained stable,” Dr Smith said.
“We’re getting closer to the 30 June 2017 cut-off date when a significant amount of federal funding for state hospitals will vanish.
“The drop in services this will equate to will be the same as closing five-and-a-half hospitals the size of Westmead over the next few years.
“The longer this goes on, the more of a crisis it becomes, as hospitals and local health districts need to know where their funding is coming from to adequately plan their budgets,” Dr Smith said.
“In cancelling the previous Labor government’s national health reform agreement, the Abbott Government is set to remove billions in funding from Australian hospitals.
“The Federal Government needs to move immediately to end this game of chicken with people’s health.
“Hospitals need to be sure the money they need to continue operating will be there beyond July 2017,” Dr Smith said.
Media contact: Lachlan Jones (02) 9902 8113 / 0419 402 955