While 500 more paramedics are on their way to regional, rural and remote NSW - at a cost of $438.6 million - there's no word on whether any will be placed in the Western Plains.

Additional paramedics will help improve ambulance response times for life threatening callouts and medical emergencies and therefore, improved patient outcomes and experiences. 

Longer ambulance response times because of a lack of highly skilled paramedics, was an issue raised in the NSW Parliamentary Inquiry into Rural and Regional Healthcare and the announcement of the extra personnel has been welcomed.

However, when Western Plains App spoke to the media contact for Minister for Health and Minister from Regional Health, Ryan Park, it was "still being determined" how many of the new paramedics will be deployed to Western Plains.

In spite of this, the Labor Government says this boost to paramedics in the bush is just one measure in a comprehensive suite of reforms to rebuild our regional health workforce, including deploying more nurses and midwives, expanding the single employer model program to place more doctors in regional areas.

“I have made improving access to healthcare in our regional, rural and remote communities is a ministerial priority of mine," Minister Park said. “I’ve always said that we will do this first by building an engaged, capable and supported health workforce in the bush. It will take time, but the Minns Labor Government is pursuing a comprehensive suite of reforms to rebuild our regional health system.”

Mr Park's media contact told Western Plains App that more details around the deployment of the 500 paramedics would be available in "a couple of months."