CONCERNS about the level of support for visiting specialists at Millicent and District Hospital have been put to the region’s two leading health bureaucrats.
According to written queries posed to Country Health SA regional director Ngaire Buchanan and incoming South East Local Health Network (SELHN) chairman Grant King by Wattle Range Council, the support for visiting specialists is perceived to be diminishing at Millicent.
The pair have also been asked by council for the new SELHN board to work to restore and improve specialist services at Millicent.
Furthermore, council would like the network to make every effort to re-establish contracts with local doctors wanting to work at the Millicent Hospital.
These and other concerns were provided to Ms Buchanan and Mr King in writing ahead of their presentation at a recent monthly council meeting in Millicent.
Their time in the chamber lasted 50 minutes and involved formal presentations by both bureaucrats.
Usual meeting procedures were suspended to enable councillors to partake in a question-and-answer format.
As previously reported, Ms Buchanan explained doctors at the Medical Clinic Millicent had expressed interest in joining the locum roster at Millicent Hospital.
However, Mr King said many questions about service delivery at Millicent could not be answered as the new SELHN did not come into being until July 1.
According to Mr King, the other SELHN board members would be known by the end of March.
“It will be a skills-based board and we want it to be best health service in regional South Australia,” Mr King said.
“It will be based on the principles of safety, quality of care and having the confidence of the community.”
Councillor Dale Price queried whether the establishment of regional boards was an attempt by the State Government to divide and conquer.
According to Cr Price, the regional boards would compete for the finite health dollar and would be in competition with health services in Adelaide.
“Why do ambulances bypass Millicent and go to Mount Gambier?” asked Cr Price.
In reply, Ms Buchanan said Mount Gambier Hospital was rated as a level five hospital with a salaried medical workforce.
She stressed the importance of the so-called “golden hour” in treating patients.
Ms Buchanan said the specialist doctors who worked at Millicent were not emergency specialists.
Cr Moira Neagle pointed out the disparity in allowances paid to board members between regional and metropolitan local health networks.
“It makes you skeptical from the get-go,” Cr Neagle said.
Cr Kevin McGrath, council’s representative on the Millicent Health Advisory, said the Millicent Hospital day surgery unit was kept busy with the overflow from Mount
Gambier.
Cr Deb Agnew expressed her disappointment that obstetrics services were no longer offered at Millicent Hospital.
“Robe women only have the options of Naracoorte or Mount Gambier,” Cr Agnew said.
Mayor Des Noll OAM said council was committed to the delivery of first-class health services at the Millicent and Penola hospitals.
“We want to know what services can be brought back here,” he said.
