Campbelltown MP Greg Warren has called on Premier Dom Perrottet to “channel less energy into photo ops and more into solving the staffing crisis at Campbelltown Hospital’’.
It follows the release of the latest Bureau of Health Information quarterly report figures which painted a grim picture of waiting times in the hospital’s emergency department (ED).
Thew report revealed that 55.7 percent of patients waited in the ED beyond the four hour bench mark period in the three month period beginning January this year.
The figure is up from 47.8 percent, recorded for the same period last year.
Mr Warren said it was staff, not bricks and mortar, that patients and staff were desperately crying out for in this neck of the woods.
“The Premier came out to Campbelltown Hospital recently for a photo op to spruik the upgrades of the hospital,” Mr Warren said.
“He smiled, gloated and then hopped back in his chauffeured car bound for Sydney.
“If he drove his own car he would have realised how difficult and expensive it was to secure a parking spot.
“If he talked to the hard working and dedicated staff, he would have realised that it was colleagues and support they wanted – not a new paint job.
“This is what the Premier and his NSW Liberal colleagues fail to comprehend – it is people, not bricks and mortar that treat people in hospitals,’’ Mr Warren said.
“The staff at Campbelltown Hospital do a tremendous job but they can only do so much with the limited resources and colleagues afforded to them by the state government.
“The latest Bureau of Health Information statistics regarding waiting times are alarming but they aren’t surprising – particularly under this government’s watch.’’
“The fact the Premier is more focused on getting his face on television rather than fixing the chronic under-staffing at Campbelltown Hospital, speaks volumes about where his priorities lie,” Mr Warren said.
