Story Andrew Clarke
The Pambula District Hospital Action Group will not give up its fight to have maternity services reinstated at Pambula hospital.
Despite the Greater Southern Area Health Service’s (GSAHS) promise to reinstate some services, the action group will give no quarter in regards to maternity services being returned.
The group will take its fight to the steps of Parliament House, Sydney, where a 10,000 strong signed petition will be presented to Member for Bega Andrew Constance on Thursday, March 5.
Mr Constance will then present the petition to Parliament.
Action group co-ordinator Sharon Tapscott said she was pleased some services would be reinstated, but the battle to have maternity services returned would continue.
“Friday, March 5, is an important day because the petition will be submitted to parliament. We decided to do this when we got nothing from the GSAHS,” she said.
“But we have now made some significant progress with the GSAHS to return some services.
“But there was one thing missing, that was maternity, and we still want that service reinstated.”
The action group will take a bus to Sydney and limited seats are available at $20 per head.
Anyone interested can contact Wolfgang Kasper on 6495 0390, or Mrs McPhersons Emporium, Pambula, Video Ezy, Merimbula or at Eden Gas and Gear. Only seats paid for be held.
The action group met with GSAHS chief executive officer (CEO) Heather Gray, who convened the meeting, on Friday, February 20.
Mrs Gray advised the meeting that services would be returned to Pambula hospital.
The services are paediatrics, theatre services (10-12 weeks), general surgery, ophthalmology, endoscopy, orthopaedic, mental health/video conferencing and air-way management. Obstetrics will not be returned.
Pambula hospital doctor Janet Watterson said she was not surprised maternity services would not be reinstated.
“We were hopeful that our concerns about the sustainability and safety of a locum based service would hit home and change things,” she said.
“However GSAHS are reverting to the flawed Maternity Services review document. “The fact that the review said the service needed four to six GP Obstetricians to run the service, and they moved the service to where there are two doctors seems to not concern them.
“I expect they will try and recruit new doctors but haven’t seen any evidence of this.
“The GP’s here cannot see a way to safely and satisfactorily give a hospital obstetric service in Bega from Pambula/Merimbula/Eden, and we have consistently told them this and they do not seem to get the message.”
Pambula hospital Visiting Medical Officers (VMOs) postponed their threat of resignation until a decision was made on whether maternity services would be reinstated.
Member for Bega Andrew Constance said it would now be a case of ‘wait and see’.
“I want to publicly acknowledge that it was Heather Gray who requested the meeting,” he said.
“We are all a bit surprised that the GSAHS CEO came bearing this news, particularly given the past 10 years when many services have been cut.
“These assurances are testament to the hard work put in by the community writing letters, signing petitions, forming of an action group and developing the savepambulahospital.com website.
“It will now be a case of wait and see, particularly given the ongoing contractual discussions between doctors and the government, which should they fail, will see GPs quit the public hospital system. Nobody wants this to happen and it must be avoided.”
Mrs Tapscott said discussions with the GSAHS were moving in the right direction, but more emphasis needs to be placed on the return of maternity services.
“Citizens are upset and deeply concerned that maternity services would continue to be centralised at Bega,” she said.
“Unfortunately this took some gloss off the advances we have made with the GSAHS.”
Mrs Gray has been invited to attend the next action group meeting on Saturday, March 14, at Pambula Town Hall.
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