Member for Wollongong Paul Scully made the demands in a Private Members Statement in the Legislative Assembly last night.

“Over the last few weeks I have been speaking with people performing a range of roles in our local health service and they are all screaming out for the same thing – more resources.

“In the June Budget the Government has an opportunity to take three immediate steps to repair the Illawarra’s ailing health and hospital system”, he said.

Mr Scully told Parliament the Government could address a “system virtually on life support” by:

• Providing additional funding to deal with the 17 month waiting lists for elective surgery at Wollongong Hospital and the longest median waiting times at its emergency department;
• Committing to and funding a purpose-built new health facility in Warrawong, and;
• Delivering on a 2015 election promise to commence public cardiothoracic surgery services in Wollongong.

He said Illawarra Labor MPs had been cooperative with the Government to deliver a new hospital to the southern suburbs of the Illawarra, but “…our patience is reaching its limits.  It’s time to announce the new site and get construction underway.”

Mr Scully told Parliament that the Government was letting down health professionals at Wollongong Hospital by providing inadequate funding time and time again.

“Behind every single waiting time statistic there is a person in great pain or serious discomfort just waiting and waiting and waiting for their turn for treatment.

“The health and hospital staff are not failing but the system is failing them”, he said.