Hospital waiting list nightmare

BY JESSICA ROUSE

Paterson MP Meryl Swanson is calling on the government to put an end to cuts to the health sector, in an attempt to stop excessive waiting lists at hospitals.

An elderly couple in the Hunter have been waiting four years to see an Ear, Nose and Throat (ENT) specialist at John Hunter Hospital.

Each year they call the hospital to check they're still on the list, and each year they're given the same answer, 'yes you're still on the list'.

John Hunter Hospital Image dailytelegraph.com.au

"People in my seat of Paterson know, they're not silly, they know that either one, they can't get in to see their doctor, two, it's costing them more to do so, or three, they're waiting an extraordinary amount of time as we've seen up to four, five, and six years for some appointments for specialists and some elective surgeries and it's just not good enough," said Meryl Swanson.

Since speaking out in parliament, Meryl Swanson says the John Hunter Hospital have recruited an additional two visiting ENT specialists who will begin work in April which is a positive, but it doesn't solve the problem.

"This is just a symptom of a much bigger problem across out health care system. It's not just the John Hunter, its all of our public hospitals and people know that they're waiting longer and longer for elective surgery, they know they're waiting longer and longer for appointments," said Meryl Swanson.

"It's one of those things we just know this government has ripped funding out of".