NSW Government’s failure to support Northern Rivers health services is ‘wilful blindness’

The NSW Government’s unwillingness to take the lead and announce funding for the recovery of primary healthcare services in the Northern Rivers is impacting care for patients.

“The evidence is clear – primary care reduces the risk of hospitalisation and helps prevent illness and death. By failing to support primary care services in the Northern Rivers region, the NSW Government is burdening an already overstretched hospital system,” said AMA (NSW) President, Dr Michael Bonning.

The recent Bureau of Health Information Quarterly report indicates Lismore Hospital is struggling to keep up with the demands of patient care. There was a record high number of admitted patients’ episodes of care in July-September 2022 quarter – 9617 patients, which was a 12.4% increase over the same quarter in 2019 (pre-pandemic activity).

Elective surgery measures are also going in the wrong direction for the region. There were 2781 patients on the waiting list in Jul-Sep 2022 which is a 43% increase compared to the same quarter in 2019 (1943 patients).

“It’s been 10 months since catastrophic floods destroyed Lismore and healthcare service providers are still struggling to rebuild. NSW has turned a blind eye to this situation.

“Politicians have been passing the buck, but the State must take responsibility if it wants to ensure hospitals – which the State funds – can deliver quality and timely care for patients,” Dr Bonning said.

“General practitioners, pharmacists, specialists – they have all faced a monumental uphill battle to get their practices and pharmacies up and running again – and in that time patients have missed out on vital care.

“This has ramifications for patients and the entire healthcare system. Patients miss out on early diagnosis or treatment for chronic conditions and then they end up in hospital in much worse condition needing a higher level of intervention. It’s much more costly for the system and more importantly, it’s worse for patient health outcomes.

“Healthcare service providers have been crawling through the recovery phase, having lost millions in property damage, medical equipment, and lost income. It’s the same with many businesses in the region, but the difference being healthcare providers are essential to the healthcare needs of the community. Residents can forgo haircuts and flowers, but missing out on children’s vaccinations, diabetes management and medicine, or cancer diagnosis can literally be life or death.

“For the State Government not to recognise the importance of supporting healthcare providers at this time is wilful blindness.

“Healthcare providers are asking for $15 million in recovery grant funding – a pittance compared to the downstream cost of providing healthcare to the community should GPs, pharmacists, and other specialists be forced to leave the area. It also pales in comparison to the cost of providing that care in hospitals.

“And it’s positively insignificant when compared to NSW Government’s $55 million sports grantwhich was provided in May to repair playing fields affected by flooding,” Dr Bonning said.

Appalled at the lack of response from the State, several organisations have banded together to send the NSW Government a special message. The AMA (NSW), alongside the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners, the NSW Rural Doctors Network, the Australasian College of Dermatologists, and other groups, have put together a postcard campaign asking the Minister for Emergency Services and Resilience Minister for Flood Recovery, Steph Cooke to step up to the plate and provide $15m in grant funding to healthcare providers in Lismore.

“The Minister has an opportunity to do right by the people of Lismore and show them that the NSW Government is interested in healing a community traumatised by natural disaster,” Dr Bonning said.

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