https://www.xxzza1.com
23.9 C
Newcastle

Hunter MPs take up fight to save GP Access After Hours service

SHARE

Watch out Scott Morrison… the Hunter region’s Labor MPs have you in their sights when federal Parliament resumes next week.

Sharon Claydon (Newcastle), Pat Conroy (Shortland), Joel Fitzgibbon (Hunter) and Meryl Swanson (Paterson) will join forces to save the area’s under-fire GP Access After Hours (GPAAH) service.

It was revealed last month the GPAAH at Calvary Mater would close completely, and operating hours for clinics at the Belmont Hospital, John Hunter Hospital, Maitland Hospital and Westlakes Community Health Centre in Toronto would be reduced, from Christmas Eve.

The blame is laid squarely on the Australian Government’s continuous cutbacks and freezes to Medicare.

And, the quartet has vowed to take up the fight in Canberra.

Armed with a petition, boasting more than 10,700 signatures, the local politicians will call on the Prime Minister to stop the cuts and restore the GPAAH service to its full operations immediately.

“Meryl, Pat, Sharon and I rarely have an opportunity to get together locally, so it takes an issue as important as this to bring us all together, to put everything else aside,” Mr Fitzgibbon said.

“There’s been one enduring concern for me as local member over the past 25 years – and that’s access to quality and timely healthcare.

“The GPAAH service has been the backbone of our health services in the Hunter Valley across all of our electorates.

“Now it is under siege.

“And, there’s no more important a responsibility for a government than to ensure that our community does have access to that affordable, timely, high-quality healthcare.

“I want to thank Sharon [Claydon], who’s led the campaign.

“I’d also like to acknowledge everyone who signed the petition.

“With your help, I hope we can turn around a situation in which both the federal and state governments have let us down.”

Ms Claydon said the petition gave Hunter residents an important voice moving forward.

“It tells stories of utter disbelief that the government would even contemplate removing an essential frontline health service in our region,” she stated.

“And, then there’s stories of anger of like how on earth could this government continue to undermine our universal healthcare system?

“This is a clinic and an Access After Hours service that has worked brilliantly in the Hunter, in a region where it is hard to find bulk-billing doctors.

“However, the anger from these stories goes to the issue that this is the Morrison government refusing to take responsibility, despite the fact it clearly is responsible for primary healthcare in this nation.

Newcastle MP Sharon Claydon takes centre stage during today’s press conference.

“There are stories about what it means when you take away bulk-billing incentives from regions like ours.

“This is a constant undermining of our universal healthcare system, and there’s 10,700 people here saying ‘enough, no more’.

“They’re the voices we are taking to Canberra next week.”

Ms Swanson had Mr Morrison firmly in her sights.

“The Prime Minister comes to the Hunter and says he cares, he wants to be the Santa Claus of the Hunter,” she said.

“Yet, on Christmas Eve, the gift he’s giving us is cutting GPAAH here in the Hunter.

“For every parent who has sat in an emergency waiting room for hours on end, at John Hunter or at Maitland Hospital, or has tried to get their kid in to see a doctor when they can’t, GP Access After Hours has been the answer.

“And, this government wants to cut it.

“It is death by a thousand cuts, thanks to the Morrison government at a time when health has never been more important to the families of the Hunter.

“The Prime Minister is taking that health away from us, they are taking healthcare away from the Hunter.

“It’s not good enough and he needs to absolutely reverse these changes.”

Ms Swanson also took the time to extol the virtues of all the frontline workers, particularly those who’ve worked at GPAAH.

“The past two years during the pandemic have been inordinately stressful for healthcare professionals,” she said.

“People of the Hunter deserve the best, and if Scott Morrison is serious about the Hunter as he keeps telling us he is, then he will reverse these changes straight away.”

Not to be outdone, Mr Conroy labelled the government’s decision “disgraceful”.

“As a father of young kids, I have used the service many times,” he declared.

“My older relatives have utilised it, too.

“It’s a great service that stops our already under-pressure emergency departments being clogged up even further.

“But, it’s part of a series of attacks on health outcomes in this region.

“Let’s not forget that the Liberals stole our vaccines during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“They’ve cut the bulk-billing incentive that’s attacking GPs right now.

“They have declared us ‘not an area’ of GP shortage so we are struggling to get GPs in our area.

“This is another cut, another attack on the health outcomes for the Hunter and Central Coast.

“We’re joining with the community to fight for the preservation of this service.

“Coalition governments have a long history of cuts to bulk-billing incentives and freezing Medicare rebates, undermining our universal healthcare system time and time again.

“Quite simply, Labor won’t stand for it.”

Get all the latest Newcastle news, sport, entertainment, lifestyle, competitions and more delivered straight to your inbox with the Newcastle Weekly Daily Newsletter. Sign up here.

More Stories

Newcastle Weekly

Subscribe To Our Newsletter

Subscribe to Newcastle Weekly. News, Community, Lifestyle, Property delivered direct to your inbox! 100% Local, 100% Free.

You have Successfully Subscribed!