State election: Tamworth's health system is an issue candidates aim to target this March election

"Nothing's in Tamworth, it's all in Newcastle, it's just ridiculous," he said.

Health is shaping up to be top of the agenda in Tamworth in the lead up to the election, with candidates listing the issue as among their top priorities.

But changing a system with significant issues is not going to be easy, local doctor Ian Kamerman said.

It reminds him of a famous joke about a tourist asking an Irish man - 'How do you get to Dublin?' The man responds: 'If I were you, I wouldn't start from here'.

Getting timely access to care right, and moving highly specialised services to the bush would be a start, he said.

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The state run health services are "patchy" in rural areas because the numbers of specialists, staff, beds, and units are limited, he said.

"If one person leaves, it can mean that a unit can no longer service a large amount of the population, so consequently, they're more at risk," he said.

COVID has affected the state health system and public hospitals with waitlists and emergency waiting times increasing, he said.

"People are waiting phenomenal amounts of time in emergency department," he said.

"They're also waiting huge times to get into state-run public, specialist clinics. And it's only after they get into those clinics that they're then put on waiting lists for surgery.

"The waiting lists that are published don't show the hidden waiting list that's behind that, the waiting list to actually get in to see the specialist, for them to make a decision about whether the patient needs surgery or not."

Peter Prisk, a resident for 35 years, said there used to be more E&T doctors in Tamworth, and the provision of the services has been an ongoing problem.

When he tried to access a local specialist for a complex problem, a specialist flew in.

"Which in terms of something that is going to require surgery, it doesn't work, because these people fly in, fly out and they operate in Sydney," he said.

"That's the problem.

"As a patient, you want your doctor to be able to come if you're in trouble after surgery."

Tamworth GP Daniel Rankmore's biggest worry for the election is payroll tax, which could slap a state tax on general practice for the first time.

But on the backburner, he's campaigning for the Gunnedah hospital redevelopment, and to get pathology and imaging into the town.

He is critical of the Labor government's plan to roll out urgent care clinics, he said there wouldn't be a need if general practice and ED was functional.

"I don't think there was much consideration of how they would function in Tamworth," he said.

"Who's going to staff it, and where are you going to get the equipment from?

"It's going to be the same staff in this area, you don't increase workforce, you're just increasing a new site."

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