Member for Northern Tablelands Brendan Moylan has appealed to the NSW and Federal Governments to join forces to address the shortage of maternity services and General Practitioners in the region.
The lack of midwives and obstetricians in the region is highly publicised with the mothers of newborns speaking out about having to travel long distances to give birth.
According to Mr Moylan, numerous expectant mothers in the Northern Tablelands community have reached out to him with their concerns surrounding the lack of services in the region, with Mr Moylan saying he is contacted daily with members of the community struggling to find a GP.
Similarly to the obstetrics and midwifery crisis, the number of GPs leaving the area in recent years has increased significantly and is continually worsening, with clinics in based in larger centres across the Northern Tablelands including Armidale, Glen Innes, Inverell and Moree, having confirmed are not accepting new patients. Mr Moylan has urged the State and Federal Governments to come together, also suggesting the need to start considering tax incentives for regional health professionals, paid placements for regional students, increased regional sign on bonuses and abolishing pay roll tax for regional healthcare professionals
