2 weeks Ago By Anthony Bunn
Six months after surgery was halted at Corowa hospital, the Rural Doctors' Association of NSW is seeking a commitment operations will resume. or signup to continue reading The Murrumbidgee Local Health District, which administers the Guy Street campus, stated in May surgery Air filtration and the need to replace filters has been flagged as a reason for the closure, but the health service has declined to be specific about what has forced patients to have operations elsewhere. Doctors' association president Rachel Christmas said her organisation had been communicating with the health service in recent months and had decided to go public because "we're not getting a response to our questions".
"When nothing's been said there's a fear something's been hidden," Dr Christmas said. "That's when the alarm bells ring, when there's not that open and transparent communication." Dr Christmas said Murrumbidgee Health had advised it was waiting to receive three quotes for the required maintenance work, which included replacing HEPA filters in the theatre.
"We understand the quotes have now been received and that approval is needed for the work to be completed," she said. Murrumbidgee Local Health District again told on Tuesday, November 5, surgery has "been paused temporarily to allow for required maintenance" without specific details "Some work has already been completed, but additional work is required," a spokeswoman said. "As part of the process for obtaining quotes for this additional work, MLHD has sought specialised, independent advice on the options available.
"The advice is now being reviewed". Dr Christmas said patients were being stressed and inconvenienced with operations having to occur at Albury Wodonga Health. "Another major concern is the risk of losing medical professionals from the Corowa hospital who will need to find work in other hospitals so they can maintain their skills," she said.
"This could include operating theatre nurses, the visiting surgeon, the GP, anaesthetist, etc. "We know from experience that clinicians usually become settled somewhere else if the alternative location offers the certainty of work that they need. "It is already difficult enough to recruit medical professionals to Corowa due to the increasing demand across Australia for them, and the higher rates offered in other states - we don't need yet another hurdle.
" Dr Christmas said as a GP at Temora in the northern Riverina she had seen similar fears with a theatre at her local hospital shut for more than a year due to airconditioning problems that necessitated . "On the one hand we have the NSW Minister for Regional Health and the NSW Health Secretary stating that they are committed to maintaining rural procedural sites, and there is a lot of funding and effort going into the rural generalist single employer model pathway in NSW - but where will these doctors train and work if the procedural sites like Corowa aren't maintained?" she asked. Murrumbidgee Health's spokeswoman apologised for the inconvenience.
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