Member for Maitland Jenny Aitchison is urging the Maitland community to sign her petition calling on the NSW Government to immediately increase staffing at Maitland Hospital.

Ms Aitchison is hoping to gain the 10,000 signatures required to generate a parliamentary debate to force the NSW Liberals and Nationals to fix the health crisis.

Three petitions regarding the Liberals and Nationals’ planned privatisation of the new hospital were tabled in the NSW Parliament, forcing the government to scrap their plans and ensure the Maitland hospital remained in public hands.

The petition calls out chronic underinvestment in the NSW health system after 12 long years under the Liberals and Nationals government, saying that “despite the best efforts of our health workers, people are now waiting longer than ever for ambulances, and when they finally get to hospital, they are waiting longer to get treated. Our health workers and our patients deserve better.”

The petition calls on the NSW Government to immediately increase staffing at Maitland Hospital.

Ms Aitchison said, “Our incredibly hard working and dedicated health workers are exhausted and stretched to the limit.”

“We need to ensure that staff have the support that they need and that there are more of them to allow them to do their job safely – it’s really that simple.”

“The new $470 million Maitland Hospital opened nearly a year ago but it’s never been properly staffed.”

“I’ve never seen a petition gather so many signatures quickly, everyone I have approached has signed it and many offered to get more people to sign it.”

“NSW Labor has put forward a number of significant commitments on health including safe staffing levels and more paramedics, to try and help our struggling health workers, but our health workers are so overworked right now, this is when they need the help.”

“As soon as we get to 10,000 signatures, I’ll be tabling the petition in the NSW Parliament, but I urge the Government to act immediately,” she said.

“People are sick and tired of this Liberal National Government’s excuses,” she said.

To download a copy of the petition visit https://www.jennyaitchison.com.au/media/vxyijimi/petition-our-health-system-is-on-life-support.pdf

DATE: Friday 2 December 2022