As the push for expanded health services at the Tumut Hospital continues to gather momentum, Tumut shire's general manger Chris Adams has urged concerned members of the public to attend a public meeting on September 22 to help determine a suitable level of service.
That meeting, called to review the first draft of a health services plan for the hospital, is expected to be attended by the CEO of the Greater Southern Area Health Service, Stuart Schneider.
Also present will be members of the community committee that has been working on the plan in conjunction with the GSAHS.
The meeting is set down for the 22nd at the RSL Club from 5.30 p.m. to 7 p.m. with the public being asked to review the initial draft of the plan, and comment on whether they consider it appropriate or whether there are deficiencies.
The urgent need for the provision of modem ultrasound equipment, and associated bulk billing, an issue addressed on the front page of this newspaper, is expected to be one of the matters discussed and according to Mr Adams is exactly the sort of thing on which input is needed from the public.
"While the plan will be used in the design of a new hospital it will also be used to upgrade the existing hospital where there are problems with the current level of service, as it could be another ten years before construction funding is available for a new building," said Mr Adams
"The situation regarding the provision of ultrasound services has been discussed, and there is a general recognition that the current service, while valuable, is too costly for many of the patients from the Shire to access."
Local medical practice managers have confirmed a long list of problems encountered over time where patients have to have ultrasounds, CT scans, breast imaging, MRl etc.
According to one of them, Maria Haider, any ultrasounds currently carried out in Tumut are limited as the machinery is not of a sufficient standard to do most checks.
Ms Haider said travelling to Wagga usually meant elderly members of the local community having to incur an extra cost of $50 or the driver's costs, and mammography I ultrasound costs were "much more expensive in our region than in the ACT or Albury to start off with."
She says patients that must have breast imagining would sooner go to Albury or to Canberra where if requested by a doctor they would be bulkbilled.
In the case of Wagga the cost of ulrasound/MRI had to be paid for up front before the patient could go to a Medicare office for reimbursement.
"Due to the severity of these problems patients in need of these services are closing the door on their health due to the financial 'out of reach' costs that are involved," she said.
Tumut Shire Mayor, Gene Vanzella said he hoped there would be a big attendance at the forthcoming meeting.
"The council certainly supports the principle of establishing Tumut as a centre for medical imaging, rather than people having to travel to Wagga, Albury or Canberra," he said.
"We are fast becoming a regional support centre for other centres such as Tumbarumba and Gundagai, and I am sure citizens of those towns would prefer to come to Tumut and drive back home rather than embark on much longer journeys."
Cr Vanzella said whilst Batlow was still hanging out for the additional $2.8 to $3 million from the State government to enable a $10 million Batlow Multi Purpose service (MPS) to be built to the standard and capacity necessary, it was also essential to keep the need for a replacement of the Tumut Hospital before the eyes of the GSAHS and the government.
"It is a hotchpotch of bits and pieces, a very antiquated facility that must be replaced. particularly given the area's burgeoning timber industries."
One of the proponents of expanded services. including new ultrasound equipment and bulk billing provision, Sue Swann, has also agreed there is a desperate need for a new hospital in Tumut designed for the 21st century.
"Batlow's hospital is even worse, but the Tumut hospital is now over 100 years old and has been renovated several times since the 1980s." she said.
"The staff are dedicated and hardworking, however they find it difficult to administer modern medicine in a building which has gone long past its use by date.
"Community groups work tirelessly to provide equipment and accessories to make life more comfortable for patients. The palliative care room is a credit to all those who have contributed to it.
"The electronic beds provided by local donors and by the hospital auxiliary are much needed, but should be a standard item.
"There is no isolation ward in Tumut hospital. With superbugs on the rise in rural areas including this community, this presents a dangerous problem, especially with multi-bed wards which are too small."
Ms Swann said whilst Tumut had attracted big industry in the likes of Visy, Carter Holt Harvey and Weyerhaeuser and was recognised as a growth area, the state and federal governments had failed to provide hospitals and health services to match the levels to which the communities of the shire had been raised.
"It is downright embarrassing to have hundreds of leading scientists and engineers come to Tumut each year from all over the world, booking out all accommodation from here to Wagga, and yet offer such a run-down health system." she said.
"I hope the people of Tumut and district turn out in droves to the public meeting on September 22 as it will be a measure of how deeply the community feels about the need for upgraded health services, including the need for a new hospital.
"If as many people attend as turned up for the Telstra phone tower meeting. and speak with the same kind of passion, things might turn out very different to the current situation in which we find ourselves and that of the hospital and the services it provides."
Ms Swann said the announcement this week that a $300,000 ultrasound machine would now be supplied to the Wagga Base Hospital was excellent news, and followed the recent purchase by Wagga Rotary Club of an ultrasound worth $60.000 for the Wagga Base accident and emergency department. funded from the proceeds of its market days.
"This will undoubtedly help alleviate the necessity of having inpatients transported to other locations in wagga for ultrasound examinations.
"However this does not solve the problems Tumut district residents have in accessing and affording ultrasound, nor that of other shires in the region who have to currently travel to Wagga for radiology.
"The federal government should take some of the responsibility for the initial cost of changing over to new technology of the type in use in W.A. to overcome the problems associated with distances between popu1ation centres.
"NSW, which also has population centres scattered over .large geographic areas, is currently using road couriers to transport X ray film.
"The Howard government has promised over $1 billion for a schools program, has already spent an unplanned $300 million on sending a small contingent of troops to Iraq and has then spent another few hundred million for further troops.
"Imagine what $2 billion would buy for country areas in terms of health services."
Tumut & Adelong Times
Friday September 9 2005