The Minns Labor Government has presided over a shocking collapse of capacity at John Hunter Hospital, where surgeons have been told to only admit patients at risk of ‘limb or life loss.’
On Friday the hospital was operating with a 37-bed shortfall, forcing staff to triage emergency presentations through surgeons instead of registrars and to identify any patients who could be discharged home.
It comes after four-hour long waits for patients arriving via ambulance over the weekend.
Shadow Minister for Regional Health Gurmesh Singh said the impact will be felt by several regional areas.
“This crisis doesn’t just affect the Newcastle region, but also communities from the Hunter all the way to places like Tamworth, Armidale, and Moree,” Mr Singh said.
“You can’t treat patients with press releases and artists’ impressions, yet the Minns Labor Government is more focused on projects that look good on a brochure than fixing the real issues while our emergency departments are buckling, staff are burning out, and ambulances are queuing out the door.”
“These failures are not limited to the big hospitals – in fact this evening the Wee Waa community is holding a rally about the future of their local hospital as well.”
“Labor came into government promising a better deal for health, but in too many parts of NSW things are getting worse.”
Shadow Minister for Health Kellie Sloane said the conditions are becoming alarmingly frequent.
“What we’ve seen at John Hunter in the past few days isn’t just winter pressure, but a full-blown system failure,” Mrs Sloane said.
“When one of our busiest hospitals can’t admit patients unless they’re at risk of dying or losing a limb, something has gone very, very wrong.
