Shadow Minister for Health, Ryan Park, said a new Bankstown-Lidcombe Hospital was urgently needed, but “doesn’t get a dollar and won’t be complete until 2028 at the earliest”.
The timetable leaves residents waiting for a further eight years and two more state elections for the new hospital to be built, with State MP for Bankstown, Tania Mihailuk, calling for the State Government to uphold its $1.3 billion election promise.
“Let our community know where it will be located and what will happen to the current hospital site,” she said.
State MPs Sophie Cotsis (Canterbury), Jihad Dib (Lakemba) and Jo Haylen (Summer Hill), also criticised the failure to “invest a single dollar” to upgrade Canterbury Hospital.
The trio pointed to a 2013 strategic plan by the O’Farrell Government confirming the hospital would need redevelopment by 2017, with $1 million allocated in 2018/19 for planning.
“This Government is happy to move thousands of people into our community but fails time and time again to invest in hospitals and infrastructure that these people require,” Ms Cotsis said.
Describing the failure to commit to the upgrade as “unforgivable”, Mr Dib said the community “is over-represented in rates of diabetes and health issues, and shamefully under-represented in investment in health services”
Canterbury Bankstown Mayor Khal Asfour said he was frustrated and angry that there was no money allocated to either Bankstown or Canterbury hospitals in the budget.
“It’s just shameful and another slap in the face for our community,” Mayor Asfour said.
“The NSW Government is treating residents like second class citizens.”
Community abandoned
THE health of the community has been abandoned after hospitals in Bankstown and Canterbury missed out on funding in last week’s State Budget, according to Labor MPs.