Dr Magee outlined what has happened to hospitals in Deniliquin and Echuca since she moved here 30 years ago to Premier Gladys Berejiklian and Deputy Premier John Barilaro during their recent visit.
It paints a bleak picture of what successive state governments have done to health facilities in Deniliquin and is a sad reflection under the current direction from the Wagga-based Murrumibdgee Local Health District.
Ms Berejiklian gave a commitment to take up the issue with Health Minister Brad Hazzard.
Dr Magee gave a copy of her presentation to the Premier to the Pastoral Times, so we could highlight the issues, hoping the NSW Government will take action and rectify what has occurred.
“Over the interval of 30 years, I have watched Echuca gain first an orthopaedic surgeon, then a surgeon, then CT scanner, MRI machine, a dialysis unit, a cancer unit, a rehab unit, a stroke response unit, and the hospital permanently staffed by interns and registrars who are on specialist training programs.
“Now, they have four surgeons, four orthopaedic surgeons, four paediatricians, specialist anaesthetist, visiting obstetrician, and a magnificent range of over 30 visiting specialists.
“They have had a huge new hospital built, with the latest facilities to manage all sorts of conditions.Their GPs have been upskilled to manage cases of increasing expertise and complexity.”
But then Dr Magee gave the comparison of what the NSW Government and its Murrumbidgee Local Health District has allowed to happen at Deniliquin Hospital.
“Meanwhile, our hospital has dwindled from about 70 to 28 beds, our maternity unit has gone from eight beds and two labour wards, with lovely lounge facilities for mothers and waiting families, to two labour wards only, no dedicated beds, and with no facilities for families or mothers.
“Our visiting specialists have dwindled from nine to three, we struggle to recruit and retain GPs, and have not attracted any specialists.
“Our GPs struggle to simultaneously manage to service their practices and the hospital, with no permanent doctors of any level of training employed in the hospital. A typical GP working week is 120 hours.
“Our CT scanner is 20 years old and barely meets standards, our trolleys are falling to bits, and our theatre is about 50 years old and has not changed in the time I have been here,” Dr Magee said.
She believes the difference between what has occurred at Echuca, compared to Deniliquin, is the “health management styles”.
“First of all, decision making regarding what the hospital needs has remained in Echuca; Echuca has retained a hospital board, which I gather is very effective and functioning, making decisions about what their hospital needs, and future planning.
‘‘Our hospital board was decommissioned many years ago, and all management decisions about our hospital are made in Wagga.
‘‘Our local hospital manager, as of a short time ago, was only able to approve items up to the value of $500.
‘‘Second, has been the different types of response to the inherent risks associated with the delivery of medicine, in an increasingly complex and specialised medical landscape. In other words, risk management styles.”
Dr Magee described the Murrumbidgee Local Health District response as to say “oh, you can’t handle that (case), you’ll have to send everything out, and taking away what capabilities we have to respond to emergencies”.
“The end result is that we become de-skilled and under-resourced.
“On the other hand, the Echuca response seems to have been, what can we do to better equip you to handle these emergencies. Let’s get better equipment, better facilities (and) attract specialist knowledge,” Dr Magee said.
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