People living in regional, rural and remote NSW have been expected to settle for less healthcare for far too long, says the Country Women's Association of NSW, which is using this year's CWA Awareness Week, September 6-12, to call on the state government to start fixing it.

In the 2026 CWA of NSW Annual Women's Survey, members reported that for thousands of families outside metropolitan NSW, accessing healthcare has become increasingly difficult. Finding a GP can take weeks, said members, and specialist appointments often require hours of travel. Expectant mothers are forced to leave their communities to give birth. Older Australians travel hundreds of kilometres for routine appointments, while many delay seeking treatment altogether because of the cost, time and distance involved.

The CWA of NSW says these reports reflect a broader pattern of inequity affecting regional communities every day. Their message this week: "Stop normalising the rural health crisis. Start fixing it."

"This isn't about asking for something extraordinary – the solutions already exist. It's about ensuring quality healthcare is available regardless of your postcode. Every family deserves that,” CWA Orange Branch President Claire Wright said.

During Awareness Week, CWA branches across the state are encouraging members, communities and decision-makers to support practical action that delivers better healthcare for regional, rural and remote communities.

In particular, the CWA is calling on the NSW Government to adopt and implement the Rural Health Action Plan, authored by Independent Member for Wagga Wagga, Dr Joe McGirr.

Built on the recommendations of a major parliamentary inquiry by the NSW Legislative Assembly Select Committee on Remote, Rural and Regional Health, the Plan is designed to ensure:

Every rural community has access to a local GP and flexible team-based primary healthcare;

Restoration of maternity services so more women can give birth closer to home;

Building of permanent rural health workforces rather than relying on costly short-term locum doctors;

Local communities have a greater voice in decisions about their health services;

Establishing an independent Rural Health Commissioner to improve accountability;

Better integration between hospitals, general practice, councils and community health services.

On top of this, the CWA of NSW is repeating its call for the state government to convert the Royal Flying Doctor Service's one-off $15 million grant for 2025–26 into ongoing annual funding.

"The rural health crisis has been normalised for too long. It's time we stopped accepting it—and started fixing it,” Ms Wright said.

She added that CWA Orange will again use revenue from the hire of its hall to support organisations that provide health-related services to regional, rural and remote communities.