As the Olympics begin, spare a thought for the region’s nurses. Particularly for those working in the public hospital system that hasn’t had a significant injection of funds for decades.
Regardless of what else is happening in the world, those folk employed in the emergency services, and in particular the health system are always working.
“The Greens are strong defenders of the public health care system. The previous National-Liberal Government diverted funds from the public system to subsidise the private health insurance industry. This must stop.
“In order to deliver high quality health care we need a well-resourced public health system. The Greens want to see an extension of community health care, including 24 hour mental health care centres. The focus of our policy is health promotion and education and illness prevention.
“I appreciate the work nurses do. My mother was a charge sister at a major metropolitan public hospital and my brother has been an ambulance officer for more than 20 years. I know first hand how hard they work for their money, the long hours and shift work. It’s difficult nursing people who are in pain, stressed or sick and in some cases dying. For the last forty years, there has been a shortage of nursing staff and in many hospitals this has lead to ward closures.
“It’s not good enough to have a hospital system that only just copes with its regular daily load. We need one with spare capacity so we can be confident of a functional health care system whatever the future throws at us. We need one that supports and adequately rewards the services of those who keep it running.
Ms Russell will deliver bunches of home-grown daffodils today for the nursing staff at the Manning Base Hospital, having obtained permission from the NSW Health Minister’s office to do so.
“My daffodils bloomed early. They brighten up your world. Normally I leave them at a local hospital for patients on Daffodil Day, but this year I think the nurses deserve gold. It’s a token of respect and an opportunity to say that nurses are the true gold medallists of the health system, and many of us in the community never cease to appreciate the work they do,” Ms Russell said.