Fairfield Hospital: Mayor Frank Carbone demands election commitment for upgrades

Fairfield is home to the forgotten hospital of Sydney’s southwest and community leaders have had enough, armed with 11,000 supporters who have signed a petition calling for major upgrades.

Fairfield Hospital.

Fairfield is home to the forgotten hospital of Sydney’s southwest and community leaders have had enough, armed with 11,000 supporters who have signed a petition calling for major upgrades to the health precinct.

In recent years, the hospital has secured a paltry $13 million for the replacement of critical infrastructure and engineering projects. It comes as Liverpool and Campbelltown Hospitals are the beneficiaries of $790 million and $632 million upgrades respectively.

Fairfield Council’s fight to secure funding for hospital upgrades has stepped up as the countdown to the 2023 state election begins, with Mayor Frank Carbone threatening to campaign against any party which does not commit to upgrades.

Mr Carbone used a mayoral minute to highlight the benefits delivered to nearby Liverpool, and Bankstown-Lidcombe Hospitals, saying they have received more than a billion dollars from the state government.

“Fairfield Hospital was opened 34 years ago and in that time, there has never been a major upgrade to its facilities or services,” he said.

Fairfield Hospital. Picture: Matthew Vasilescu

“Tonight council is formally putting on notice both the NSW Government and the opposition leader, Chris Minns. Fairfield will not be forgotten. Our community has spoken.

“We will not allow their politics to get in the way of the health and safety of the community. I have seen first-hand how the inadequate facilities have led to poor outcomes for patients.

“Should the hospital not be considered for major upgrades by either side, we will campaign to ensure the community’s voices are heard loud and clear and hold the politicians to account.”

A petition started by Fairfield council has now been signed by 11,000 people, Mr Carbone said, and delivered to the NSW parliament.

He clarified that he had no issue with the hard working doctors and nurses at the hospital, but the NSW government’s lack of funding and resources poured into it.

He said Fairfield Hospital functions as a triage hospital, and sends many patients to Liverpool, which is significantly better equipped.

Fairfield Mayor Frank Carbone and Fowler MP Dai Le. Both have campaigned heavily for a funding boost to Fairfield Hospital.

The building frustration is felt by residents including John Menzagopian, who ruptured his Achilles tendon playing tennis at the Marconi Club on a Sunday afternoon and was taken by his wife Venessa to Fairfield Hospital, just two minutes away.

When he arrived he was given a wheelchair before being told the hospital did not have staff available for him to have a MRI scan or ultrasound, as it was a Sunday. He was recommended to go to Liverpool Hospital instead.

“We told Liverpool Hospital that Fairfield said that to us, and they were surprised we were turned away,” Ms Menzagopian told the Fairfield Advance.

“They said the first thing to do was an X-Ray, and it could be done without an MRI or ultrasound.”

Fairfield Hospital exterior.

Mr Menzagopian received his X-ray in Liverpool, had his leg put in a boot, and was sent home.

According to Fairfield Council, the hospital does not have the capabilities to treat many emergencies and is not equipped to offer cancer treatments, heart health specialists, diabetes specialists, specialist treatment for chronic health conditions, MRI machines, electronic health records, epidurals, or blood transfusions for maternity patients.

However, this was disputed by a Fairfield Hospital spokeswoman which said the hospital met the community’s needs through an emergency department, emergency services — including epidurals and blood transfusions — general medicine, cardiology and surgery, as well as geriatrics, rehabilitation, and renal dialysis.

Shadow health Minister Ryan Park. Picture: Nathan Schmidt

“Fairfield Hospital patients requiring cancer services are referred to a specialised cancer centre at the nearby Liverpool Hospital,” she said.

“The 2022-2023 budget for Fairfield Hospital is $141.4 million, an increase of $9.3 million on the previous financial year.

“The District has invested more than $13 million on the replacement of critical infrastructure and engineering projects at Fairfield Hospital during the past three years, including the $7 million redevelopment of the hospital’s emergency department, which opened in 2021.

“A range of improvements are underway at Fairfield Hospital, including an upgrade to electronic medical records, which is expected to be in place in early 2023.”

The spokeswoman also pointed to the “network of health services across six hospitals” available in the South Western Sydney Local Health District.

NSW Minister Health Brad Hazzard Photo: Louise Kennerley

Shadow Health Minister Ryan Park said, when asked by the Fairfield Advance if there would be an election commitment for Fairfield Hospital funding, that Labor was currently working through its funding promises but made clear better healthcare would be a priority.

“After 12 years, the Liberal Nationals have let down the people of Western Sydney and Fairfield when it comes to health care,” he said.

NSW Health Minister Brad Hazzard did not respond to questions about an election commitment to Fairfield Hospital before publication.

A 2020 NSW parliament inquiry into health funding for southwest Sydney determined hospitals in the area, including Fairfield, had suffered from a historic under funding and recommended it be immediately corrected.
Mr Hazzard responded to the recommendation a year after his response was due and committed no extra funding beyond what was already budgeted.

Mr Carbone’s ultimatum to both parties comes as rumours swirl his team would be willing to run its own candidate for the NSW state elections — for the seats of Fairfield or Cabramatta — against the Labor if they believed the ‘right candidate’ wasn’t picked.

Mr Carbone’s support was a factor in Dai Le’s surprise win against Kristina Keneally in the recent federal election for Fowler.

Upgrades to Fairfield Hospital were a key part of Ms Le’s campaign and she told the Fairfield Advance she was working with local, state and federal leaders to secure funding.

“Fairfield Hospital is one of the only hospitals in the state that has functioned without access to Wi-Fi,” Ms Le said.

“It’s unthinkable in 2022 that our doctors and nurses are unable to use laptops and computer technology to record patient data.”

She said that the hospital’s specialist hand clinic treats the greatest number of hand cases across the Asia Pacific from its current home, a demountable at the back of the hospital.

“At the end of the day, we deserve the same access to healthcare services and resources as the rest of the state and country, this community has been denied for far too long,” Ms Le said.