The federal Minister for Health misled your readers in her recent letter about health funding.
There is no $3 billion cut to the NSW health system – a fact acknowledged this week by Brett Holmes, the general secretary of the NSW Nurses and Midwives Association.
The biggest risk to the NSW health system is a cut of almost $1.5 billion if the federal government does not continue to fund the National Partnership Agreements which help pay for beds, emergency department attendances and surgical procedures.
The NSW government has increased health funding to a record $18.3 billion this year, which includes employing 2900 more nurses since I became minister, a record amount of spending for health infrastructure projects, and most importantly – extra money to treat more patients.
Jillian Skinner
Minister for Health
and Minister for
Medical Research