Eurobodalla Hospital: Concerns new $100m south coast hospital won‘t be up to scratch
Health professionals are worried health services won’t be up to scratch at the new $200 million south coast hospital, especially in the critical areas of mental health and paediatrics.
The South Coast News
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South coast residents and health professionals are concerned a new $200 million regional hospital will not meet the standards needed by a community already struggling.
While the proposed Eurobodalla Regional Hospital will combine the region’s two hospitals – Moruya District Hospital and Batemans Bay Hospital, many in the community are concerned they will not receive Level 4 services, especially in paediatrics.
Obstetrician and gynaecologist at Moruya and Batemans Bay District Hospitals, and senior lecturer at the Australian National University, Michael Holland, said the new hospital must cater to the needs of the region.
Bega state Liberal MP Andrew Constance said he was aware of the community’s concerns.
“I’m continuing to work with the key decision makers at NSW Health to ensure that we get the necessary Level 4 services to deliver the facility our region needs,” he said.
Dr Holland said the local health service was only 56 per cent “self-sufficient” for general health services, and just 25 per cent for adult mental health and paediatric services.
“More than one hundred patients are transferred outside the region each month by road ambulance or aeromedical retrieval because of the lack of clinical services locally,” he said.
“Many residents need to leave the area for elective services unavailable locally.”
One New Eurobodalla Hospital community group member, Georgie Rowley, said areas like orthopaedics should be high on the agenda for the new hospital.
The group, started in 2018 to help lobby for the new hospital, claims it has around 3000 members.
The need for easy and free access to specialist services, long wait times for allied health appointments and access to community health services, a lack of social workers, GPs and orthopaedic and paediatric services, were issues the group wanted the new hospital to solve.
“We need to use our voices, people power is what gets us change, it’s worked so far however there’s still a long way to go,” Ms Rowley said.
She said petitions have been placed in shops around the Eurobodalla, and urged concerned residents to email NSW Health with their concerns.
Resident Susan Hush said she was concerned the new hospital would be “nothing better than we already have” and she was concerned specialists would not move to the south coast without a Level 4 hospital.
“The Level 4 hospital is desperately needed here on the south coast,” she said.
Another resident labelled a future Level 4 hospital a “pipe dream”.
When the site for the hospital was announced, Mr Constance said it would become an “incredible place” for the community and “a tremendous workplace for staff”.
“The Eurobodalla Health Service will deliver a new, modern and purpose-built hospital to accommodate a range of Level 4 Services for the entire Eurobodalla Shire, from Narooma to Batemans Bay,” Mr Constance said.
NSW Health said construction of the regional hospital would begin before the 2023 state election.
The Southern NSW Health District has been contacted for further comment.
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