Mrs Dalton said she had called on NSW Parliament to recognise the crisis in regional healthcare, audit all regional hospitals to identify gaps in services and commit to boost funding to fill these gaps.
She said in response, NSW Health Minister Brad Hazzard moved to delete Mrs Dalton’s motion and replace it with a motion stating the NSW Government has done more than any other government in history to improve regional healthcare.
She said he also attacked her personally, saying she was too argumentative.
‘‘Mr Speaker, if you want to find out how sick someone is, what’s the first thing you should check?’’ Mrs Dalton asked in her speech.
‘‘Their blood pressure? Temperature? Pulse? Heart beat? No, the first thing you should check is their postcode, because in NSW, where you live determines how long you will live.
‘‘Twenty years ago, people in regional NSW actually lived longer, on average, than those in Sydney.
‘‘In my part of the world we now die five years earlier. In the far west, it’s a six year death gap.’’
Mrs Dalton spoke about how the ABC Four Corners episode highlighted the tragedies happening in regional hospitals.
‘‘ABCs Four Corners brought a crisis into the spotlight. In regional hospitals across Australia, people are dying early due to one thing, lack of funding,’’ Mrs Dalton said.
‘‘If this government can build a $500 million Broken Hill pipeline in less than a year, bypassing all due process, there’s no reason why nearby regional hospitals should be waiting more than decade for much needed upgrades.’’
Mrs Dalton again highlighted a number of problems in regional hospitals to parliament, saying they were related directly to lack of funding.
Independent Wagga MP Joe McGirr, a doctor, spoke in favour of the motion.
But Mr Hazzard’s amended wording was passed 48-42 by the House.
Mrs Dalton said it would not stop her from fighting, with her petition calling on the NSW Government to address problems with hospitals in the Murrumbidgee Local Health District reaching more than 7000 signatures.
She will need 10,000 signatures to force parliament to instigate a debate.
Copies of the petition can be found on Helen Dalton's website.
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