'Early intervention delivers enormous benefits': MP backs kids' clinic call

Worried parents are anxiously waiting to have their children seen by paediatricians as demand soars across the Riverina.

Wagga mother Catherine Hannah had no problem getting her now three-year-old in to see a paediatrician prior to moving to the Riverina from Melbourne.

In 2021 and 2022 the waiting times were causing anxiety for Mrs Hannah, who had to wait about four months for each appointment.

Some parents have reported they are being put on years-long waiting lists.

"Each time it was a three month or more wait which was hard because she needed the help," Mrs Hannah said.

"It was pretty bad."

The 26-year-old said more paediatricians across the region would help the ease the burden many parents and children are left facing.

Children's charity Royal Far West (RFW) is lobbying the state government ahead of this year's budget for a new paediatric clinic to be established in Wagga to combat the increased demand.

The proposal has garnered the support of Member for Wagga Joe McGirr, but the MP said there were other locations that were also in need of services.

"I've been very conscious that it needs to be to the Murrumbidgee not just Wagga," Dr McGirr said.

"We're quite lucky with our paediatric services but other parts of the region aren't."

Dr McGirr said there was a growing recognition of the problem and greater demand for the services, which he was hearing from parents and professionals across Wagga and the region.

"There's clearly an increasing need in children for these development assessments," he said.

"It could be speech, motor skills development, learning difficulties, a range of issues.

"I definitely get approached by constituents here who have difficulty accessing those services."

Waiting months or years to see a paediatrician is a concern with early intervention a crucial part of preventing additional issues in the future.

"There's absolutely no doubt that the more we do in the first 2000 days of life from conception, before birth and than up to year five, the more we do there to address developmental needs, to improve hearing, vision, speech, the better learning, the better participation and the better outcomes 10-15 years later down the line," Dr McGirr said.

"You want kids to learn and develop and if there's anything that hinders that I think they can fall behind, self esteem can suffer and I think there's been pretty strong evidence that early intervention produces enormous benefits down the line."

If the Royal Far West is successful in its call Dr McGirr said there would be a combination of more paediatricians on the ground as well as ensuring health professionals were supported and skilled up.