Member for Eden-Monaro, Mike Kelly believes that Pambula hospital should remain but not necessarily as a hospital. He told the News Weekly: “The funding for the new regional hospital was never made contingent on the closure of Pambula hospital. Any decision is a NSW one.
“My intention would be to see a medical facility remain in Pambula; I would like to see an MPS (Multi-Purpose Service) or basic level services for everything minus maternity in the long-term. While we don’t have the new hospital I would like to see maternity at Pambula hospital. We don’t have a problem afterwards but everything else should remain.”
In reference to the funding for the new hospital, the vast majority of which was largely from the federal government, Dr Kelly said: “It is legitimate to expect, having relieved the state of so much health funding, that NSW should pull their weight.”
Dr Kelly said that the NSW Health Minister (Jillian Skinner) could override any decisions made by health service bureaucrats.
“Andrew Constance and the Minister made categorical statements (about Pambula hospital) and the community has a right to expect them to deliver,” Dr Kelly said.
Email a friend