Country people are at breaking point under a health system in crisis, with significantly poorer health outcomes than those living in the city, a NSW parliamentary inquiry has found.
The upper house report into medical care in regional, rural and remote NSW was tabled in state parliament on Thursday morning, making 44 recommendations.
The inquiry, which received 720 submissions and held 15 hearings, revealed country hospitals often operate emergency departments without a doctor and minimal nurses, and many rural towns cannot attract permanent GPs.
Witnesses told of patients dying on bathroom floors, cooks and cleaners taking on nursing duties in understaffed hospitals, and unwell or injured people travelling hours from their homes for care.
Labor committee chair Greg Donnelly said some people reported "excessive wait times for treatment and ... misdiagnoses and medical errors".
The report recommends NSW Health review funding models for rural health districts to identify gaps in care and speed up its review of the nursing and midwifery workforce.
It says rural people have poorer health outcomes and face significant financial barriers to care compared to their city counterparts.
"This is a situation that can and should not be seen as acceptable," Mr Donnelly said.
Since the inquiry, the NSW government has appointed Bronnie Taylor as minister for regional health, set up a dedicated division within NSW Health, and announced funding for rural hospitals.
Premier Dominic Perrottet says many of the issues raised during the inquiry have been addressed and spending on rural health is at record highs.
"It's a challenge getting nurses and GPs out to regional NSW and regional Australia", he told reporters.
"This is a difficulty that we have to address.
"Right across the board we've seen record investments, but we could always do better."
Journalists Jamelle Wells and Liz Hayes' stories about the untimely deaths of their fathers within the rural health system helped trigger the inquiry.
"The loss of our fathers, Allan Wells and Bryan Ryan, to a rural health system that we now know is deeply flawed is unforgivable," the pair said in a statement.
"Country people deserve better. These are people's lives. They matter."
Opposition health spokesman Ryan Park said federal and state governments need to stop shifting blame and listen to rural communities.
"I want to see wholesale change in NSW Health ... to put a real focus, front and centre, on the health care needs of those living outside our major metropolitan cities," Mr Park told reporters.
The report recommends reviews of several funding structures, as well as a second inquiry in two years to monitor change.
Independent MP for Murray, Helen Dalton, who has been vocal about the poor state of healthcare in her southwest electorate, said more reviews would only delay change.
"We need direct financial rescue packages to keep GP practices and small hospital wards open while we implement the longer-term strategies," she said.
NSW Greens health spokeswoman Cate Faehrmann, who was on the committee, urged the government to establish an independent office of a health administration ombudsman.
A federal Senate inquiry heard similar evidence about extreme staff shortages in other states, and an interim report recommended the government substantially increase Medicare rebates.
