The Murrumbidgee Local Health District is in the middle of a "health crisis" according to Shooters, Fishers and Farmers Party candidate Helen Dalton.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
In the lead-up to the next election Ms Dalton has been circulating a petition to demand an end to "third world healthcare" in the Murray area, which she claims is costing lives.
"It's a fact that we die earlier out here in the bush, and our mental health services are in a crisis," Ms Dalton said.
"Griffith Base Hospital should be providing far more services than it does.”
She pointed the finger of blame at NSW health minister Brad Hazzard, who has promised $300 million for a new hospital in Griffith but has not yet allocated the funding.
"Until they allocate it in the budget it's not real," Ms Dalton said.
"We actually need to conduct a needs-based analysis of what every community needs."
Ms Dalton said she was skeptical about whether the government will deliver the funding any time soon.
After releasing his health budget earlier this year, Mr Hazzard said the government was committed to improving healthcare across NSW.
"This record budget will ensure patients across the state get world-class, timely care in our hospitals and health services no matter where they live," he said in June.
"We will continue to deliver a major capital program of new and upgraded health facilities as part of a record $8 billion investment over the next four years."