The state of Eurobodalla health - Politics say one thing and SNSWLHD say another - who's in charge?

6 WEEKS TO THE NSW ELECTION – PART 1 OF 3

EUROBODALLA REGIONAL HOSPITAL UPDATE – A COMMUNITY PERSPECTIVE

AUTHOR – Dr. Arn Sprogis (retired)

Now lives in Tuross Head (arrived just before the fires). Prior to retirement he had a 30-year history as a rural then regional GP. During that period, he was also responsible for developing large scale improvements in General Practice systems of care at a regional, state and national level including GP/hospital integration within emergency departments across the Hunter region. In addition to being a GP he was the CEO Hunter Urban Division Of General Practice, Board Member Hunter Urban Medical Local, Chairman Australian Medical Local Alliance and member of the NSW Health Ministers Clinical Council during the previous NSW Labor Government. His lifetime commitment is to get equal access to high quality health care for rural and regional communities.

Supported by: Gary Smith, former Chair of the Moruya Hospital Board – Mylene Boulting, co-founder ONE New L4 Eurobodalla regional Hospital Advocates Group

OVERVIEW

Rural/Regional hospital financing and systems of care have for 4 decades suffered from various NSW governments’ indifference and on occasion neglect. The aim of the 3 articles is to provide my community with clear information around the transition of Moruya hospital to the new Eurobodalla Regional Hospital. I have spent the past 12 months working through all the information available to the community and drawing conclusions from a community perspective.

NEW HOSPITAL BUILDING

After a rocky and slow start, with confusion around land purchase and road access, the building process has now started with community members substituting for the Minister of Health and turning the first sod on the 6th February (see Beagle 8th Feb). By 2026 our community will have a hospital able to accommodate Level 4 clinical services. There remain some differences of view around bed numbers and how they are allocated. Overall, although the hospital is 10 years late in coming, it’s a good thing and a 2026 opening will be an exciting day for our region.

LEVEL 4 EMERGENCY DEPARTMENT (ED) CURRENT POSITIONS

In rural hospitals the EMERGENCY DEPARTMENT (ED) plays an even more critical role in the community than it does in a capital city due to our distance from high level care. It is essential that it has sufficient clinical capacity to resuscitate, stabilise, transfer, and manage patients safely. Nearly 5 years have passed since Dr. Michael Holland first raised the issue that Moruya Hospital ED service levels needed to be lifted to Level 4 to meet demand, then 4+ years of campaigning by the ONE New LEVEL 4 Eurobodalla Regional Hospital group plus 2 large scale petitions, with nothing significantly changing.

On review of all the available information including the 2020 Eurobodalla Health Services Plan, Level 4 ED services are long overdue and should have been in place 4 years ago when the issue was first raised.

The Health Minister obviously now agrees and is on the record in a press release January 2022 that "…by 2025 we will have the brand new, $260 million Eurobodalla Regional Hospital that will open and welcome patients with its Level 4 services, looking after the communities of Batemans Bay, Moruya and Narooma”.

However, when SNSWLHD was asked the following question “Will Level 4 ED service delivery planning be accelerated, and Level 4 services commence when the new Moruya hospital opens? Are any other services planned to be at Level 4?” There were no answers to the specific questions.

So, the Ministers message of a year ago doesn’t seem to have filtered through to SNSWLHD or, if it has, the community isn’t being kept informed. It is essential that before the election campaign begins the Health Minister and SNSWLHD deliver the same message.

The community awaits the release of Labor party policy on this issue, and I will analyse and report on it when it appears. In the meantime, the member for Bega, Dr. Michael Holland’s views are well known, he is a strong supporter of Level 4 services on hospital opening. It is essential that Labor release its Eurobodalla Hospital policies as early as possible presumably in alignment with Dr Holland’s stated position

COMING UP IN THE NEXT FEW WEEKS

RADIOTHERAPY FOR MORUYA

FACT OR FICTION - A DO IT YOURSELF GUIDE FOR CAMPAIGN PROMISES ON HEALTH

Are politicians simply puppets to bureaucrats? Just how accountable are their promises and double talk?