Concord Hospital And Sydney’s Inner West To Win MRI Licence Under Labor Julia Gillard - Shadow Minister for Health, Manager of Opposition Business in the House of Representatives

Media Statement - 20 February 2004

Today, in conjunction with the Federal Member for Lowe, John Murphy MP, and the State Member for Drummoyne, Angela D'Amore MP, I am pleased to announce that a Latham Labor Government will provide Concord Hospital with a Medicare-eligible Magnetic Resonance Imaging licence.

The New South Wales Government recently committed to the $2.8 million purchase and installation of an MRI machine for Concord Hospital. The additional commitment of federal Labor means that Sydney's inner west residents will have outpatient access to a state of the art diagnostic tool and avoid huge expenses for radiology services.

Concord Hospital is not only a vital service for the inner west, but it also serves many of NSW's veterans and is a teaching hospital of the University of Sydney.

Minister for Health, Tony Abbott, has repeatedly refused to give a commitment to award Concord a Medicare-eligible MRI service. I am pleased to be in Lowe today to announce that Latham Labor believes in the provision of health care for the residents of Sydney's inner west.