They accuse Mr Evans, as well as his predecessor Adrian Piccoli, of favouring Griffith Hospital at Deniliquin’s expense. The NSW Government has committed $224 million to Griffith Hospital.
Mr Evans said last week Deniliquin Hospital had a “moderate chance” of getting $1.5 million to upgrade the entrance and emergency departments.
But it seems these upgrades were promised by the Murrumbidgee Local Health District a year ago, so last week’s announcement is “old news”, having been recycled at the start of an election campaign.
Heading the push for improvement to the hospital have been Shirlee Burge and Joy Allan, who want to form a lobby group seeking support for their cause.
In a letter to the Pastoral Times following our story last Friday about the possibility of $1.5 million in local funding, Mrs Burge said she was “perturbed that Austin Evans and our Mayor (Norm Brennan) feel $1.5 million is enough to satisfy constituents regarding upgrading and maintaining our health services”.
“We have met with Austin (Evans) three times and also with his predecessor (Adrian) Piccoli, and not once did either acknowledge the urgency of upgrading Deniliquin Hospital; obviously their focus was the Griffith Hospital upgrade,” Mrs Burge said.
“During the 33 year reign of the National Party we have seen our facility fall far below what is an acceptable level of service.
“Deniliquin Hospital is the third largest in the Murrumbidgee Local Health District, yet has had the least funding of any hospital in the health district in the last 40 years. Smaller hospitals have been allocated tens of millions of dollars, yet less than $7 million has been spent at Deniliquin since the 1970s.
“Due to this lack (of funding) the hospital has fallen into a sorry state. Our medical and nursing staff work tirelessly in antiquated and unsafe conditions.”
Mrs Burge said downgrades in maternity and children’s services were key issues at the hospital.
“We do not service or perform procedures on children under 16 (at Deniliquin Hospital). Hands up all the parents who have presented at emergency, only to be told to take your child to Echuca or Shepparton?
“How many women presenting at maternity have been told to drive to Echuca on a highway riddled with wildlife?” she asked.
Mrs Burge says the community should “tell the local member the offer (of $1.5 million) is pathetic” and it was “a clear case of Evans looking after his own back door and abandoning Deniliquin”.
She said Mr Evans had mentioned a Murray Darling Medical School and it “sounds like it will be based in Griffith”.
“It sounds like the training facility for rural doctors and nurses we have campaigned for here in Deniliquin,” she said, adding Deniliquin would be a better venue because of our proximity to Melbourne, which is where most students would come from.
Mrs Burge said: “Given our location, Deniliquin should be the major medical centre in this forgotten area of New South Wales.
“The Mayor and councillors need to stand up and fight for a better institution, as we all know you cannot attract anyone, let alone young professional people, to an area with little or no health facilities.”
She has called on Deniliquin and district residents to “start making a noise about this lack of basic services in a run-down institution that in some areas is 157 years old”.
Mrs Burge said herself and Joy Allan have been ‘‘trying so long on our own’’ to get funding for Deniliquin Hospital.
‘‘We’ve had marvellous support from (council general manager) Adam McSwain, but I think we have to bring others in. It’s what Griffith did to get their new hospital; we intend to start a ‘Save Deniliquin Hospital’ website.
‘‘We know New South Wales has the money. We want to save Deniliquin Hospital and we want community support,’’ Mrs Burge said.