Growing chorus of concern on health issues
Sir- The recent departure of CEO of Greater Southern Area Health Service in questionable circumstances has only served to highlight the growing chorus of concern about our region's health administration.
In the past fortnight, three major issues have come to light which No More Bandaid Solutions Inc., an organization dedicated to improving rural health facilities, believes demonstrate breathtaking administrative incompetence.
Budget Blowout. According to recent reports, the regional health debt has blown out to $16.3 million from $7 million 12 months ago.
The question remains, will a 10% increase to GSAHS budget this year be enough to cover this and what is the real problem?
Is it one of management, or is it that the budget is not adequate to provide the range of services needed by this region's communities?
Hospital Land Deal Collapse.
On Tuesday, May 30, GSAHS executives addressed a public meeting in Tumut, giving a glowing account of their implementation of the Health Service Plan.
However, those same administrators failed to mention that on the same day, the land deal for the new hospital to be built in Batlow had collapsed.
Health administrators have taken six long years since funding for the new Batlow hospital was first approved, and spent $545,000 on architect designed plans for a building on land that they neither own nor control.
At the eleventh hour, State Rail, the authority currently in control of the proposed hospital site, have pulled the pin on negotiations to make a "paper" alteration to the position of a rail line which transects the land, in case the line will be reopened. However, the same government dept. is a party to negotiations (and a feasibility study) to recycle the same disused rail line as a tourist walking/cycling trail.
Minister for Health John Hatzistergos has now revealed that GSAHS plan to redesign the hospital to fit a long skinny strip of land.
Locals are incensed that (a) this design would be totally inappropriate and inefficient and (b) they were not informed by GSAHS about either the land deal collapse or plans to redesign the hospital.
More than twice the total amount of money allocated for repairs to medical facilities in Tumut and Adelong this year ($250,000 in each case) has been wasted on architect designed plans for a hospital at Batlow that as of two weeks ago cannot be built.
NMBS Inc. asks:
• Why did it take six years and over half a million dollars of taxpayers money to get to this impasse? and
• Since it involves two State Government departments, why can't it be fixed immediately by regulation or an Act of Parliament? Who is responsible?
Broken Promises.
At a public meeting in Tumut on November 3, 2005 GSAHS officials gave a firm commitment to have a full facility review ofTumut Hospital completed and reported on by March 2006, and to release this report to the people ofTumut by May 2006.
Seven months later, the same officials revealed after being questioned at a subsequent public meeting in Tumut (30-5-06) that the promised facility review had not even been started.
After further questioning, officials said that the review would be undertaken in coming months and the results conveyed to another public meeting later in the year.
That being the case, almost 12 months will have elapsed. It is worth noting that in the case of Queanbeyan Hospital, it has taken 12 months from a facility review stage to reach construction stage.
With this level of obvious incompetence is it little wonder that rural people have lost confidence in government health administration.
No More Bandaid Solutions Inc. demands that the NSW State Government take immediate action to rectify these specific problems and to start delivering adequate, appropriate medical facilities to rural citizens in an efficient and equitable manner.
Yours etc, Sue Swann
for No More Bandaid Solutions Inc.
Tumut & Adelong Times
Tuesday, June 20, 2006