For too long Manning Hospital and other health services in the Greater Taree, Great Lakes and Gloucester shires have missed out on their fair share of government funding, according to senior medical specialist Dr Murray Hyde-Page.

But with the completion of the Lower Mid North Coast Clinical Services Plan 2013-2017, endorsed in July by the Hunter New England Local Health District (HNELHD), and the Manning Rural Referral Hospital Master Development Plan, that could all be set to change.

It has been more than two years since Dr Hyde-Page, chairman of the medical staff council of Manning Rural Referral Hospital, started the most recent push for improved services at the hospital.

He spoke to the Manning River Times in May 2011, describing the hospital's situation as a "developing crisis" for the people that it serves of the Manning, Great Lakes and Gloucester.

Dr Hyde-Page wrote a letter to Hunter New England Health requesting a meeting to discuss the need for a clinical services plan, and the three mayors at the time; Paul Hogan for Greater Taree, Jan McWilliams for Great Lakes and Geoff Slack from Gloucester Shire also wrote to endorse their support for a strategic plan.

A meeting, which included the mayors, took place in December 2011 and HNELHD chief executive, Michael DiRienzo and staff and representatives from the office of member for Lyne Rob Oakeshott and member for Myall Lakes Stephen Bromhead all agreed a clinical services plan needed to be developed.

The last clinical services plan for our region was completed in 1992.

In the past 15 years, tens of millions of dollars has come the way of Manning Hospital, while hundreds of millions has gone to other major regional centres on the Mid North Coast, including Port Macquarie.

"We have missed out on four rounds of funding. We have not been given anything in the past few years," said Dr Hyde-Page.

"I feel like we've been treated like a backwater."

The development of the plans was driven by medical staff, council, the board of directors and with the support of the three mayors from Greater Taree, Great Lakes and Gloucester, but in that time Dr Hyde-Page said we have "unfortunately missed out on all funding that could have come from the federal government."

After the last election he questioned then member for Lyne Rob Oakeshott about why the area wasn't getting any funding and was told it was because we didn't have a clinical services plan.

It was with support from Stephen Bromhead and Rob Oakeshott, and the input of local clinicians, health service managers, other key stakeholders including private providers, and members of the community, that the plan was completed.

In May this year, when the Community Cabinet met in Taree, Dr Hyde-Page took the opportunity to meet with state minister for Health Jillian Skinner, and re-iterate the need for our region to receive its fair share of funding.

Recently, the mayors of the three local government areas the two plans cover; Paul Hogan from Greater Taree, Jan McWilliams from Great Lakes and John Rosenbaum from Gloucester Shire, have written and signed a joint letter, which has been forwarded to federal and state ministers, indicating the "ardent support of the three councils" for the plans.

The clinical services plan outlines the existing service levels and challenges as well as initiatives for service development to meet these challenges in the coming years.

The master development plan, led by hospital general manager Trish Bulic, identifies a number of staged capital projects that would realise the current service development needs of the Manning Hospital, as identified in the clinical services plan.

"For the first stage we desperately need $20million to keep the hospital functioning at an acceptable level," said Dr Hyde-Page.

Stage one includes construction of a new hospital entrance, emergency after hours car parking, front of house clinics, renal and oncology suites and multi-storey car parking.

The following stages include the vertical expansion of stage one construction, improved hospital access and circulation to better manage service/patient flows and public flows, as well as the expansion of community and mental health services.

In their letter, the mayors said it was "imperative that both state and federal funds be allocated to capital works relating to stage one and that consideration for future funding allocations be made to progress through the master development plan as a priority.

"As the mayors if Greater Taree City, Great Lakes and Gloucester Shire, we believe it is crucial that a commitment be made to recurrent funding following a completion of capital works that would see vastly improved oncology, renal, pathology, cardiac, intensive care theatre and community health including mental health services for the community of the lower mid north coast.

Taree is recognised in the state as one of four major regional centres on the Mid North Coast.

"As the gateway to the mid north coast, the population of this area is set to expand significantly," wrote the mayors.

"Recent funding allocations to the other three major regional centres of the mid north coast and their subsidiary locales far outweighs the attention that the lower mid north coast has had in recent years.

"Public health services are retrograde in comparison to those provided in other areas of the mid north coast and as the mayors of Greater Taree, Great Lakes and Gloucester Shire we cannot allow the disregard to continue.

"Service levels must be made equitable to those provided on the rest of the mid north coast and indeed the rest of the state."

The clinical services plan covers the development of community based public health services and those provided facilities at Bulahdelah, Gloucester and Wingham as well as the public beds provided at the private facility at Forster.

But, they said, it is evident these facilities depend on the service development needs of Manning Hospital, the central facility, being met.

"It is therefore considered appropriate by the three councils that a commitment of funding be made to the development of public health services at the Manning Hospital in the first instance

With plans in place, Dr Murray Hyde-Page said it is now up to the politicians to facilitate and work to get the funding and that health services of our region needs to be a top priority of the successful candidate for the seat of Lyne.