Dr Michael Holland MP - Member for Bega has announced that he has given his first Notice of Motion in the NSW Legislative Assembly saying "As a practicing Obstetrician-Gynaecologist for over 30 years, I wanted to take this opportunity to highlight the lack of specialist services for some of our most vulnerable patients.
"Providing adequate paediatric and neonatal resuscitation services for our region is imperative to the continued health of our community. The inadequacy of these services is putting young lives at risk.
"That's why I am calling on the NSW Minister for Health to provide these life-saving services in the Eurobodalla.
In July 2021 South Coast health professionals voiced their anger and frustration around the proposed cuts to beds in the maternity, pediatric and oncology wards in the new Eurobodalla Regional hospital saying the cuts would directly impact clinical services in the region.
A revised Clinical Services Plan released by the Southern NSW Local Health District in July 2021 showed the existing seven beds in the Eurobodalla Maternity Service was proposed to reduce to three beds, while the pediatric beds would be reduced from six to four. In what has been an major backflip the Health Minister, Brad Hazzard has backed away from his long held view that the new Eurobodalla Hospital would open as a Level Three. With the community engaged, informed and angry the Minister did a backflip to announce it would open at Level Four. Most likely the promise came as a result of the rapid decline in approval for the State Government in the South East in the lead-up to that recent State by-election that was lost in a voter landslide by the Liberal candidate, Fiona Kotvojs, who took a 6% hold to lose it to a double-digit swing. With the next State election in March 2023 the performance of the current government in the areas of roads, health and education will see the inequities long delivered to the South East brought to the surface.
