Bush Summit 2021: Call for NSW Government to fix rural radiotherapy services

The premier has pledged to act over the state’s rural health crisis following concerns for pregnant women, cancer patients and doctor shortages.

NSW Premier Dom Perrottet has pledged “to act” over the state’s rural health crisis, following concerns over pregnant women being given waterproof mats in case they deliver babies in cars and bush hospitals with no doctors.

He has acknowledged the government needs to take action, after The Daily Telegraph put the spotlight on the plight of the state’s rural and regional residents.

“Some of the reporting over the last couple of days certainly highlights the need for government to take further action,” Mr Perrottet said.

He said the government was building 80 hospital health facilities, with two thirds of those in rural NSW.

NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet. Picture: NCA NewsWire/Bianca De Marchi

“But it’s not just the bricks and mortars,” he said. “It’s not just the hospital system which is clearly being identified in these reports at the moment. It’s providing and investing in health staff.

“We have 8000 new doctors nurses allied health professionals that we are investing in at the moment — 45 per cent will be in regional NSW.”

A parliamentary inquiry into rural health has heard harrowing tales from families of country residents dying in hospitals with no doctors, while others say bush hospitals have wards closed.

Can Assist charity spokeswoman Majella Gallagher. The charity helps rural people facing medical costs.

“There will also be a report handed down and we will act,” Mr Perrottet said.

Grassroots charity Can Assist, who help country people facing nightmare medical costs, is calling on the new Premier to build more radiotherapy machines into the country.

It says several machines should already have been built – based on grants from the Federal Government – but bureaucracy and resistance from the State Government is preventing the money being spent in full.

The charity, run by dedicated volunteers across the state who raise money for families by holding old-fashioned cake and market stalls, says the Perrottet Government could be doing a lot more to help bush residents.

“It’s pretty desperate out there in the bush,” spokeswoman Majella Gallagher said.

Grassroots charity Can Assist is run by 3000 statewide volunteers and is funded entirely by local donations and corporate sponsorships.

“We hear all the time people telling us they could not afford to get treatment if they didn’t get help from us.

“Radiotherapy for cancer patients is a big deal because you can’t stay in hospital when you have it, so you need accommodation and it can go for such a long time, for weeks and weeks and can be thousands of miles away.”

During the 2019 election, the Federal Coalition Government allocated more than $43 million to build more machines in NSW - but so far only three out of seven have been built, at Taree, Griffith and on the mid North Coast, she said.

“They’re still four grants that the Federal Government is offering - $5 million each, $20 million in total, but the other four areas haven’t been picked up,” she said.

She said the State Government could bid to build them, but had not. And in southern NSW, private contractors have put in substantial bids, but required the State Government to agree through its local health districts and provide a co-payment, so patients are not paying out of pocket.

Cootamundra resident Jon and wife Danni Anderson. He was diagnosed with a brain tumour in May last year and had the help of Can Assist in travelling.

“But the government says it’s not viable, that the population there is under 400,000 – which is rubbish, because the other three radiotherapy services awarded were under that number, and so are other examples around the country.”

Jon Anderson, 64, from Cootamundra, was diagnosed with a brain tumour last year and had to travel to St Vincent’s Hospital in Sydney for surgery and treatment, and would have had to sell his home without help from Can Assist.

“Can Assist provided much needed financial assistance with medical costs, petrol cards, and accommodation costs in Sydney,” Mr Anderson said.

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