MP attacks NSW Health over funds

North Coast Area Health Service CEO Chris Crawford.

TWEED MP Geoff Provest has accused New South Wales Health of withholding funds that would otherwise go to aiding a growing surgical waiting list at the Tweed Hospital.

Mr Provest yesterday claimed patients are suffering an average four-month wait for surgery at the Tweed Heads-based hospital, at the same time the NSW Government has failed to spend $130 million of federal funding earmarked to reduce hospital waiting lists.

“Access Economics says NSW has only allocated $54 million of $184 million from Canberra for cutting surgery waiting times, while NSW Health has just admitted the average waiting time for elective surgery at the Tweed Hospital is now four months,” Mr Provest said.

“The damning NSW Health ‘Yellow Book' monthly report also concedes the Tweed Hospital emergency department is failing to treat patients in time in three out of five categories.

“Only 73 per cent of patients with imminently or potentially life threatening conditions are being treated within the benchmark times.”

On ABC local radio yesterday, North Coast Area Health Service CEO Chris Crawford dismissed Mr Provest's claims.

“At the end of June there were no patients in any of the three categories that we monitor waiting longer for their surgery than the benchmark time,” Mr Crawford said.

“The urgent cases were being treated within 30 days.”