President’s Message: clarity and determination
August 31, 2026
Patients need proper diagnosis, not fragmented care
September 10, 2026
MEDIA STATEMENT FROM AMA (NSW) PRESIDENT DR FRED BETROS
The latest Bureau of Health Information report is a dashboard full of warning lights, but the NSW government continues driving.
Our emergency departments are the barometer of the health system. Ambulance responses reached a record 395,042 between April and June, while fewer than one in three admitted or transferred patients left an emergency department within six hours.
Only 56.8 per cent of elective surgeries at Bankstown-Lidcombe and 63.4 per cent at Campbelltown were performed on time, with both results deteriorating over the past year. Nepean Hospital’s waiting list grew by 8.3 per cent to 3,937 patients.
And yet the answer is obvious – we must invest in preventative healthcare to reduce avoidable hospital admissions. This means better access to chronic disease management, mental healthcare, outpatient specialist services and coordinated community care.
We welcome the preventative health summit next month – but we need more than one-off sugar hits to get us through the next crisis.
Disappointingly, last Friday’s Health Ministers’ Meeting in Sydney does not appear to have delivered any tangible outcomes for patients or doctors.
We need more doctors and staffed beds today, alongside investment in prevention and early intervention to reduce avoidable demand tomorrow. The system needs help now. Patients cannot keep paying the price for governments’ failure to plan.
We have a sick health system – and if we don’t act, we risk its slow decay.
Media: P: 0419 402 955 E: media@amansw.com.au