On October 26, 2018, following a three week campaign by residents, a petition of more than 3000 thousand signatories was delivered to the office of Bega MP Andrew Constance.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
The petition requested that the NSW Government specifically:
"Provide immediate improvement to the Accident & Emergency, Critical Care and Perioperative services of the Eurobodalla Shire by funding and upgrading the existing infrastructure and workforce.
Commit to the funding, planning and building of one new regional hospital for the Eurobodalla Shire, located at a site providing equitable accessibility for the people of the Eurobodalla, which will provide medical services equal to those of the Regional and Base Hospitals within the Southern NSW Local Health District."
On October 31, 2018, the NSW Premier, the Bega MP, the Chief Executive of SNSWLHD, the Chair and other representatives of the SNSWLHD Board, representatives from NSW Health Infrastructure, the Mayor of the Eurobodalla and other council representatives attended an announcement at the Quarry Wharf, Moruya.
It was announced that $150 million would be allocated to the work on a single new regional hospital for the Eurobodalla.
In December 2018, the Minister for Health declared work on a new hospital would commence within the term of the current NSW Government by 2023.
It is obvious that our community needs these improvements and a new hospital.
The total number of Accident & Emergency presentations in the Eurobodalla in 2018/19 was 25,503.
This compares to 15,395 in the South East Regional Hospital, Bega and 16,983 in Goulburn Base Hospital.
After three years, our Accident and Emergency departments and Critical Care services still lack the equivalent clinical support of a unified service with Accident & Emergency specialists, credentialled A&E VMOs, a specialist Critical Care doctor and specialist nurses which are provided in the neighbouring less clinically active units such as SERH, Bega and Goulburn Base Hospital.
The Moruya Accident & Emergency department which deals with the highest acuity of clinical emergency services has deteriorated physically and functionally.
There is no specialist supported Close Observation Unit to provide current high dependency patient needs and to allow transition to Intensive Care services in a new regional Eurobodalla hospital with level 4 clinical services across the range of clinical streams before 2031.
Total patient admissions in the Eurobodalla in 2018/2019 were 15209. Compare these numbers to 12265 in South East Regional Hospital and 11362 in Goulburn Base Hospital.
Mental health admissions in the Eurobodalla in 2016/17 according to the AIHW My Hospitals data were zero. There were 890 admissions in Goulburn and 366 in SERH, Bega.
There were 48 minor elective Orthopaedic surgery procedures in the Eurobodalla in 2018/19. In comparison, SERH performed 599 procedures and Goulburn performed 411.
The Eurobodalla Maternity service had 317 births in 2018 but has no paediatrician. Goulburn has 273 births and SERH has 250 births. Both hospitals have 24 hour paediatric cover.
Total clinical activity in the Eurobodalla has shown a 17.5 per cent increase in the five years 2011/12 - 2016/17.
Hence, our local health service continues to send approximately 100 patients per month outside the Eurobodalla by road or aeromedical transport for services which cannot be provided locally.
This is the reason that the health service remains only 56 per cent self-sufficient for clinical services.
With clinical numbers exceeding South East Regional Hospital Bega and Goulburn Base Hospital, which respectively have been built with $188 million or redeveloped with $150 million, both requests of the petition of October 2018 need to be satisfied as soon as possible.
We need now the immediate improvements to Accident & Emergency and Critical Care services that were requested two years ago.
We need work to start on a single new regional hospital in the Eurobodalla which will open its doors with level 4 services equal to South East Regional Hospital Bega and Goulburn Base Hospital.
Our community has waited its turn for too long already.
Happy anniversary.
