Four Months On And Still No Ministerial Advisory Panel In Place

Four months after announcing the creation of a new Regional Health Ministerial Advisory Panel there is still no panel in place highlighting yet again the failure of this Government to prioritise regional and rural healthcare. In April the Minister for Regional Health Bronnie Taylor said the panel would play a key role as the state government looks to create better health outcomes for regional or rural people - especially crucial now as hospitals contend with staffing shortages.

"This panel will give people working in rural and regional healthcare as well as those living in the regions the opportunity to be directly involved in shaping the future of their healthcare system," Mrs Taylor said. According to the Minister for Regional Health, the panel was meant to play an "integral role as the NSW Government looks to improve health outcomes for people across rural and regional NSW.” Ryan Park MP, NSW Shadow Minister For Health is not impressed with the failure to deliver the panel, saying, "After four months waiting they can't even get a panel in place and it says everything about this Government's lack of commitment to fix health care across our regional and rural communities. "This comes after the Government opposed the landmark Regional and Rural health inquiry that Labor fought to establish and which highlighted enormous problems across NSW. "It is unbelievable that after making such a big deal of having a dedicated Minister for Regional Health that they have failed to meet one of their first tasks to set up this panel", Mr Park said. "I would of thought that when an inquiry hears stories about hospitals without doctors, cooks looking after patients and hospitals without basic medication that getting this panel in place would have been an absolute priority but clearly not," he said. "Communities deserve a Government that is going to focus on improving health services. Labor is committed to implementing the recommendations of the health inquiry but clearly, the Liberal and Nationals are on a "go slow" when it comes to fixing healthcare in these areas. Dr Michael Holland MP, Member for Bega said “It is extremely disappointing that following the Inquiry into rural, regional and remote health care that the Regional Health Ministerial Advisory Panel has not been established.” “This Inquiry, at which I gave evidence on the deficiencies of health care in the Bega electorate, is an indictment of the current Liberal-National government. “It is a reflection of this government's deficiencies to not act on such a serious report with any significant response for people in rural, regional and remote New South Wales”