To the Honourable the Speaker and Members of the House of Representatives assembled in parliament:

The petition of certain residents of the State of New South Wales draws to the attention of the House the refusal by the Federal Government to license a Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) facility at the Concord Repatriation and General Hospital denies equitable access to vital health services for cancer, heart, orthopaedic, burns and MS patients.

Despite a commitment by the NSW Government to purchase a MRI machine, Concord Hospital remains the only teaching hospital in Sydney not approved to provide MRI diagnostic services via the Medicare system.

This means Concord's frailest patients are unable to locally access vital diagnostic services.

Your petitioners request the House to protect the public's interest and provide equitable access to the Medicare system for inner western Sydney residents by licensing MRI diagnostic services at the Concord Repatriation and General Hospital.