Binjari community rocked as Wurli-Wurlinjang Health Service shuts down local clinic

An Aboriginal community controlled health service is under fire for shuttering its clinic in a township outside of Katherine, but the organisation believes its services will actually improve due to the closure.

Wurli-Wurlinjang Health Service has shuttered the Binjari Community Health Centre to the ire of the community. Picture: Binjari Community Aboriginal Corporation

An Aboriginal community outside of Katherine has been rocked by the sudden closure of its health clinic, with the chief executive of the local Aboriginal corporation warning the decision places the health of its old, ill residents at risk.

It’s understood Wurli-Wurlinjang Health Service made the decision to close its Binjari Health Service, which cares for the approximately 240 people that make up Binjari community, about 28km southwest of Katherine, earlier this month.

The decision was communicated to the community at a town-hall meeting on May 27.

According to an email from Wurli-Wurlinjang seen by this masthead, the Aboriginal community controlled health service intends to provide services to Binjari from its base in Katherine.

Binjari Community Aboriginal Corporation CEO Deb Aloisi. Picture: BCAC

It proposes home visits on Monday and Tuesday, during which it will also deliver community outreach programs such as alcohol and other drug counselling and vaccinations, and new patient transport options to take clients into Katherine.

Wurli-Wurlinjang said clients can also take the free Kalano Community Association bus if they need to access the health service’s three Katherine clinics.

It said it is also seeking approval from the Northern Territory Primary Health Network to provide additional outreach and dental services on Thursday nights.

Despite the assurances, the clinic’s closure has devastated the community.

Binjari Community Aboriginal Corporation chief executive Deb Aloisi was blunt in her assessment of Wurli-Wurlinjang’s handling of the matter.

“The care factor is zero, as far as I’m concerned,” she said.

“I’m devastated, mate, we’ve got so many chronically ill people, people who need daily injections for their hearts.”

Ms Aloisi said at the town hall meeting, community members asked Wurli-Wurlinjang what their options were now in case of emergencies.

“A few community members turned around and said what happens if someone gets bitten by snake?” she said.

“Their attitude was call triple-0.

“What if someone is having a heart attack?

“One person raised concerns over how long it takes for an ambulance to get out here because they [paramedics] are so stretched.

“Their response to anything was ring triple-0.”

However, Wurli-Wurlinjang, which told community members the clinic’s closure was primarily due to staff safety concerns, according to Ms Aloisi, believes that its service provision to Binjari will in fact improve due to the centralisation.

“We think it’s going to be a better service. We couldn’t find enough staff [at Binjari], whereas our clinics in town have more staff, more resources,” a source said.

The source also pointed out the short distance between Binjari and Katherine.

In a recent social media post, Wurli-Wurlinjang said it was “committed to continuously deliver a health service” to Binjari community.

Originally published as Binjari community rocked as Wurli-Wurlinjang Health Service shuts down local clinic