Hundreds of hospital beds in NSW could close due to federal budget cuts, Premier Mike Baird warns
The New South Wales Government says it may be forced to close 300 hospital beds in order to find more than $1 billion in savings because of federal budget cuts.
The state has just six weeks until the Commonwealth will reduce its health funding by about 30 per cent.
New South Wales Premier Mike Baird says hospital beds may have to close.
"What we have seen handed to us from Canberra is a long-term trajectory that really puts that at threat," he said.
Mr Baird says there is no way the state can absorb the Federal Government's cutbacks.
"The impacts we are seeing from these cuts hit and take away from the people of this state - indeed every state and territory - frontline services including across our hospitals," he said.
"That's going to have a massive impact in day-to-day delivery of those services."
Opposition health spokesman Andrew McDonald says closing hundreds of beds in the middle of winter could put lives at risk.
"We are just at the start of what appears to be a very big flu epidemic," he said.
"The loss of 300 beds would cripple the New South Wales health system.
"Changing work practices will save money but you can't do that by cutting money from the system.
"For every nurse or every doctor it takes a certain amount of time to treat a patient and that doesn't change whether you're in Warrawee or Wyalong.
"These cuts will mean that everybody waits longer."
State and territory leaders are calling for an urgent meeting with their federal counterparts to discuss the cuts before they are due to come into force in July.