Friday 31 May 2013

O'Farrell Government Cancels Lifesaving Cancer Surgery at St George Hospital - Patients lives being put at risk

The O’Farrell Government’s decision to cancel lifesaving cancer surgery at St George Hospital until July as part of budget cuts will put the health of patients waiting for surgery at serious risk.

St George Hospital has been forced to cancel critical peritonectomy surgery until July to meet their budget – leaving 42 patients currently on the waiting list, of which 20 are already in breach of clinically recommended guidelines, left waiting for their surgery.

The alarming revelations come despite the Health Minister Jillian Skinner promising to fix this problem and recently claiming that patients in NSW have never had it so good.

“This is a disgraceful act from the O’Farrell Government that will put the health of cancer patients at serious risk,” Shadow Health Minister Dr Andrew McDonald said.

“The O’Farrell Government promised to fix our hospitals but instead it is cutting $3 billion from across the state – putting lives directly at risk.

“Cancelling lifesaving surgery is what happens when you cut billions from the public health system.

“The O’Farrell Government promised to fix this problem – but instead the only solution we have from the Health Minister is to cancel this lifesaving surgery.

“Instead of blaming local hospitals for cuts to budgets and the cancellation of surgery – the Health Minister needs to accept responsibility and fix this problem immediately.

“The doctors and nurses at St George Hospital are willing to treat patients – they just need the O’Farrell Government to provide them with the resources.

“Cancelling lifesaving surgery at St George Hospital is extremely unsafe and the Minister should step in today and reverse the decision.”

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