A move by Member for Murray Helen Dalton to divide the Murrumbidgee Local Health District is ramping up.
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Mrs Dalton has launched a formal petition to support her bill put to parliament in April.
She is also hosting a rally next week in Griffith, where the local doctors have publicly supported her campaign.
Mrs Dalton’s aim in splitting up the 125,243km² Wagga-based MLHD is to “provide proper local health care in her electorate”.
She proposes a new Western Riverina Health District cover Leeton to Balranald, including the communities and health services of Deniliquin, Jerilderie, Berrigan, Finley, Leeton, Griffith, Hay, Hillston, Lake Cargelligo, Balranald, Barham, Moulamein and Tocumwal.
The split would also put a stop to and rectify what she described as the consistent “downgrading” of rural and regional hospitals in favour of larger health services at Wagga Wagga and Albury.
“I urge people to join the alliance to fix our health system once and for all,” Mrs Dalton said.
“Murray communities have waited long enough — it’s time for real change.
“Stand with myself, Dr Jaya, Bill Calabria, Robert Fattore and Brendan Catanzariti as we demand a fairer, locally run health system that puts patients first.
“Together, we can send a message too strong to ignore.”
The rally will be held on Saturday, September 20, at Griffith Memorial Park from noon.
Last month, an open letter written and signed by Griffith Base Hospital Medical Staff Council chair Dr Howard Fan supported Mrs Dalton’s campaign.
The proposed boundaries of the Murrumbidgee Local Health District split.
In it, Dr Fan said the establishment of the Western Riverina Health District would help address the “failures of the Murrumbidgee Health District”.
He said the current system had created a “lack of local autonomy, inadequate resourcing and missed opportunities to develop and expand services tailored to the Griffith community”.
Mrs Dalton started working on her MLHD split bill in February this year and said Premier Chris Minns made a personal commitment to her before the last election to create a new health district in the Western Riverina.
She now wants him to honour it.
“The seat of Murray is the same size as Scotland. We need, and deserve, our own health district.
“We can’t continue to allow ourselves to be run by people who live hundreds of kilometres away and who simply don’t understand our health needs.”
A spokesperson for MLHD has previously said the health service was committed to providing timely, efficient and appropriate care to patients in every part of the district.
“Wagga Wagga Base Hospital is the only rural referral-level facility in MLHD and it serves as a vital hub for specialist healthcare services to every part of the district,” the spokesperson said.
“Splitting MLHD would have a detrimental impact on existing healthcare pathways and would see more patients needing to travel further from their homes to access appropriate care.”
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