‘I may be sacked’: Another doctor speaks out about threats to health system

‘I may be sacked over it.’ Another doctor has come out to warn that services are under threat but the health service says the claims are ‘completely false’.

Bellingen save our hospital rally in 2010.

Another local doctor has come out, warning of possible threats to health services in the region.

This time it is Bellingen-based doctor Andrew Heslop who is a Visiting Medical Officer (VMO) at the Bellinger River District Hospital.

He has been a doctor in the area for 30 years.

Dr Heslop has been on a board of health professionals meeting fortnightly for the past six months to help plot the future course of the hospital, and what he is hearing has him very worried, so he has chosen to speak out.

“I may be sacked over it,” Dr Heslop says in relation to his role as VMO.

“The local area health service doesn’t like the spotlight shone upon them – not at all.”

The Bellingen hospital falls under the Mid North Coast Local Health District.

It’s not the first time the bureaucratic approach to health care in the region has come under fire.

In March last year Professor Ned Abraham spoke out about what he described as a culture of inaction, bullying and lack of transparency.

FED UP: Professor Ned Abraham spoke out last year.

And in February this year, retiring local doctors Don Radford and Deirdre Little urged the community to be vigilant against a public hospital culture that is sometimes more responsive to economics.

For the Bellingen community it’s a battle they’re accustomed to fighting.

In 2010 they took to the streets to protest plans to downgrade the hospital.

Dr Heslop says the Mid North Coast Local Health District is well aware of Bellingen’s fighting reputation and as such, has been deliberately secretive in the recent talks he has been involved in.

Among his concerns is the possible closure of the Bellingen emergency department from 8pm to 8am with all presentations at that time directed to Coffs Harbour Base Hospital (CHBH) which is undergoing a major development.

But health district Chief Executive Stewart Dowrick says any claims it intends to close or downgrade the hospital are completely false.

Stewart Dowrick CEO Mid North Coast Local Health Network. pic: Rob Wright

“The hospital plays an important role in the Coffs Clinical Network of the MNCLHD and in recent years major capital projects worth more than $13 million have been undertaken at the site,” Mr Dowrick said.

“Bellinger River District Hospital provides specialist palliative care and surgical services. Its Emergency Department is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week, seeing around 5,000 people per year (approximately 14 per day).”

Dr Heslop and retiring doctors Don Radford and Deirdre Little have spoken of local doctors, keen to work shifts at the hospital, being effectively shut-out with a preference for locums.

Dr Heslop says recent discussions with the Rural Doctors Association have helped clear the way to allow more local GPs to enter or re-entering the VMO workforce but says the district health service is “reticent to support their advice.”

Drs Radford and Little also experienced this reticence.

“Two doctors from our practice were recently thwarted from applying to provide care for patients admitted to hospital,” they said in a joint statement when they retired earlier this year.

But again the health district denies this is the case, and says it is working to attract more doctors to the region.

“We have been actively advertising for additional doctors to work at the hospital and while this process continues, locum support is provided to the ED by visiting doctors,” Mr Dowrick said.

“Although it can be difficult to attract doctors to rural and regional areas, we are fortunate to have a large number of GPs working in the Bellinger Valley.”

A Save Bellingen Hospital online petition was created in recent days and already has over 2,000 signatures.