Statement from AMA (NSW) president Dr Kathryn Austin

There is little meaningful funding in today’s NSW Budget for the state’s ailing public health system and the thousands of patients waiting for their life-saving treatment or surgery.

Doctors on the frontline are grappling with more acutely unwell patients with increasingly complex healthcare needs and the funding provided in this budget fails to address that.

This week, we saw reports of western Sydney patients waiting up to a year for cancer diagnoses and vulnerable neonates being cared for in storerooms and corridors.

This is at a time when the NSW Government is neglecting to introduce reforms which would see it collect $1 billion from clubs providing gambling services.

This is money that could help patients desperately needing healthcare and it is beyond appalling that patients are suffering while funding is clearly available.

It is also deeply concerning the NSW Government is spending $3.3 billion in this budget on building or upgrading hospitals, yet there is little to no funding to grow the health workforce in any meaningful way.

In the past year, doctors have reported their local health districts are up to $100 million over budget, resulting in recruitment freezes, no funding for new services and the closure of beds.

The latest Bureau of Health Information quarterly report (January to March 2025) showed more than 100,670 patients waiting for elective surgery – close to the record set during the pandemic when all elective surgery was cancelled.

More than 8500 people are now waiting longer than clinically recommended – up 151 per cent on the previous quarter.

These people are our mothers, our fathers, our colleagues, our neighbours – all in need of surgery to alleviate chronic pain or regain quality of life and independence.

Funding new buildings will not alleviate the pressure on doctors, nurses and allied health staff trying to deliver timely care, nor will the one-off $23 million allocated to reduce elective surgery waiting lists have any real impact for patients without ongoing, sustainable funding.

There is also no money in this budget for preventive health measures to keep people out of hospital.

AMA (NSW) estimates the state needs up to 400 additional funded beds year on year to keep up with underlying demand. In the government’s own report, from the Special Commission of Inquiry into Healthcare Funding, it recognised an urgent need to invest in our doctors, nurses and allied healthcare staff to support the patients of this state.

We welcome $83 million for maternity services, but note it does not address a chronic lack of obstetricians and GP obstetricians in regional NSW.

Sadly, there is no real plan for the future of healthcare in this budget and the patients of NSW deserve better.