Dave Sharma and Kerryn Phelps both back plans to restore cardiac services at the Sydney Children’s Hospital

Wentworth candidate Dave Sharma has broken months of Liberal silence on cardiac services at Sydney Children’s Hospital, breaking ranks to support his rival on a plan to fix the issue that has enraged top medical officials.

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A campaign to restore cardiac services at Sydney Children’s Hospital now has support from Wentworth’s two federal election front-runners.

Liberal Dave Sharma plans to champion local health services if elected to federal parliament next month, promising to address an issue that has seen top doctors go public with their concerns in recent months.

Breaking the Liberal party’s silence on restoring cardiac services to Sydney’s Children’s Hospital at Randwick, Mr Sharma said he would work with state government officials to ensure the SCH gets its fair share.

Senior medical officials been locked in a stand-off with the New South Wales government since the administration of the hospital’s cardiac services was merged with the Westmead Hospital in 2012.

Josh Frydenberg (right) with Liberal candidate for Wentworth Dave Sharma at the Sydney Children’s Hospital last week.

Last month they claimed in an open letter that the merger was “to the detriment of the Sydney Children’s Hospital” and that “very safety and wellbeing of sick children is at stake.”

Responding to a series of questions posed by The Wentworth Courier, Mr Sharma said he “knew all too well how important essential services like healthcare are to the community”.

“If elected I will work closely with the state government to ensure that the Sydney Children’s Hospital at Randwick can provide the same clinical services as Westmead,” he said.

His comments come less than a week since Treasurer Josh Frydenberg said he would “leave that to his state colleagues” when asked the same questions at an event at the Sydney Children’s Hospital.

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Former Liberal state member for Coogee, Bruce Notley-Smith, too had remained silent on the issue during the NSW election campaign while health minister Brad Hazzard said he supported the current arrangement, making Mr Sharma’s comments the first time a Liberal has backed a plan to restore cardiac services at the Sydney Children’s Hospital.

Independent member for Wentworth Kerryn Phelps has also thrown her support behind the plan, confirming today she had met with senior medical staff and the Australian Medical Association over the matter.

“At Sydney Children’s Hospital, I believe the cardiac services should be restored as an integral part comprehensive paediatric care for our area,” Dr Phelps said.

“Parents in the eastern suburbs would expect their children to be treated locally at Sydney Children’s Hospital rather than at Westmead.”

Labor’s newly-elected state member for Coogee Marjorie O’Neill previously also told the Courier she would take the issue to state parliament after an open letter signed by numerous doctors expressed “dismay” at the “apparent attack on the capacity of the Sydney Children’s Hospital”.