Our hospital system is under record pressure.
That's not unique to NSW. COVID-19 (and influenza A) have seen unprecedented demand placed on hospitals right across Australia.
The NSW Government is not sitting idly by while this happens. It's dramatically increased investment in health.
Since its election in 2011, the NSW Government has almost doubled recurrent health spending. It was $15.5 billion in the previous government's final budget in 2010-11. It will be over $30 billion in 2022-23.
And there's more to come. More than 10,000 additional full-time equivalent staff will be employed over the next four years - 7,000 in the next year alone. This will be a major boost for our dedicated, hard-working nurses, doctors and other health staff.
The increase in health capital spending since 2011 is even more transformational.
The 2022-23 capital budget for health is over $2.8 billion, tripling Labor's last budget of $918 million. Since 2011, the NSW Government has delivered more than 170 capital projects in health.
Locally at Sutherland Hospital, a new $62.9 million emergency department, larger intensive care unit and additional general medical and surgical beds, opened in 2018. A new $88.5 million operating theatre / endoscopy / MRI complex is under construction for progressive opening in 2023 and 2024. Since 2011 around 1,500 additional full time equivalent staff have been employed in the South Eastern Sydney Local Health District alone.
Everyone in NSW will very likely visit a hospital across various stages of their life.
Some visits bring joy and elation; others grief and pain. Providing high-quality healthcare for these times is a top priority for the NSW Government.