Healthcare in Orange is "beyond broken" according to NSW Nurses and Midwives (NSWNMA) organiser Tracey Coyte.
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Ms Coyte met with doctor and Greens upper house candidate Amanda Cohn, candidate for Orange David Mallard and candidate for Bathurst Kay Nankervis outside Orange Health Service on Tuesday, March 14.
The union rep, who covers the NSW Western and Far West Local Health Districts, said nurses had not been fully appreciated.
"Our system is beyond broken," she said.
"Looking after such a large geographical area I have seen the demise after 12 years of a government who does not prioritise and value and invest in public health.
"Nurses and midwives from beautiful Orange all the way up to Lightning Ridge out to Cobar and down to Cowra have not been valued."
Ms Cohn said she had seen firsthand the conditions healthcare workers faced in her role as a GP in Albury-Wodonga.
She said Orange was one of many areas struggling.
"In my work as a GP and in emergency departments across rural and regional NSW I have experienced firsthand a public health system that is in absolute crisis," she said.
"Here in Orange you have a red light rating in ED and having spoken to frontline workers here on the ground it's clear it's because of a staffing crisis."
She said the Greens, who are hopeful of winning more upper house seats in the upcoming election, would prioritise preventative healthcare and ratios to ease the burden on emergency departments.
"We know that people in regional NSW live on average 2.2 years less than people that live in the city, that's even worse for people in remote areas who live five years less on average," she said.
"The emergency department is the last bastion of our public health care service. To take the pressure off we need to invest in community-based primary and preventive healthcare services.
"The Greens are committed to opening public mental health and primary care services including one here in the local health district.
"Ratios have already been done in Queensland and Victoria. We know that ratios save lives, they improve working conditions and are also cost saving.
"When people get quality care their stay in hospital is shorter and they are less likely to be readmitted. Your health shouldn't depend on your postcode."
Western NSW LHD told the CWD they would not be commenting due to being in caretaker mode during the election campaign.
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