Shadow Minister for Health Jillian Skinner and Member for Wagga Daryl Maguire made an announcement last week that the NSW Liberals and Nationals government will boost the Isolated Patient Transport and Accommodation Assistance Scheme (IPTAAS) by an average of $100.

“This is a huge win for Lockhart, The Rock, Yerong Creek and Pleasant Hills patients who are forced to travel long distances to get the health care they need,” Mrs Skinner said.

“The IPTAAS budget will be increased by 50 per cent, injecting an extra $28 million into the scheme over the first four years of a NSW Liberals and Nationals Government.

“A typical patient who makes an IPTAAS claim will receive on average an extra $100 towards their travel and accommodation costs.”

Ms Skinner said greater access will mean better outcomes for Lockhart and district patients and healthier rural and regional communities.

“Labor’s administration fee saw some patients spend more money on bureaucracy than they would get back via the IPTAAS allowance,” she said.

“In government, the NSW Liberals and Nationals would review this fee with a view to making it fairer so it does not stop people claiming, or even seeking treatment in the first place.

“A NSW Liberals and Nationals government would also review the IPTAAS administration fee, the distance eligibility criteria (focusing on patients with a chronic disease), parking arrangements and paperwork complexity.”

Member for Wagga Daryl Maguire said many patients in the Lockhart district travel long distances to major referral hospitals to receive life-saving medical care.

“Local patients have told me Labor’s scheme is too bureaucratic, too mean and just doesn’t go far enough in terms of covering the out-of-pocket costs families endure,” he said.

“I want to improve the quality of life for patients in the Lockhart area.”