Hospital waiting times and the potential extension of oncology services were up for discussion when Dr Max Alexander, chief executive of the Local Health District, visited Moruya Hospital on Tuesday.
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Flanked by hospital board chairwoman Eve Bosak, Dr Alexander was travelling south on a site inspection of hospitals.
The former Greater Southern Health Service medical director is well versed in regional health issues.
The Bay Post/Moruya Examiner told the new chief executive of the long waiting times experienced by emergency room patients at Batemans Bay and Moruya Hospital recently.
This followed calls to the paper last week by a number of residents who, after waiting for up to four hours at local hospitals, left the emergency ward before being seen by a doctor.
At the time Eurobodalla services manager Lisa Kennedy said the number of patients presenting to the emergency department each day “varied greatly” and was difficult to predict.
The Bay Post/Moruya Examiner asked for statistics on waiting times at shire hospitals but was told: “We only collect waiting time data for base hospitals”.
However, Ms Kennedy said records showed that emergency presentations had increased by 1628 since 2007.
Interestingly those figures don’t reflect the number of patients who present to emergency departments but leave before seeing a doctor. They are disregarded.
The closest base hospital, according to Dr Alexander, is Goulburn. And he isn’t opposed to introducing record keeping in regional hospitals.
“The system in place is capable of recording so in principle there is no barrier for us to move in that direction,” he said.
“It’s important in terms of service accountability.”
His comments followed metropolitan news reports that the NSW Government plans to give patients internet access to “real time” waiting times at the State’s major teaching hospitals.
Patients will therefore be able to shop on the internet to find the emergency departments with shorter waiting times.
In theory, Dr Alexander supports a similar system for the Eurobodalla.
“It would be a stretch to say it is something that is going to happen but absolutely, why not?” he said.
“In theory it would work but I think it would be interesting to see if patients actually utilise a service like that. Patients have a particular allegiance to a certain hospital.”
During his visit Dr Alexander spoke to Ms Kennedy about the possibility of expanding oncology services at Moruya Hospital, an issue also flagged by Eurobodalla Shire Council on Tuesday.
Dr Alexander said he understood the current oncology department was on the small side, and also operating out of an old, temporary building.
“Sometimes things like that can be done through community volunteer work, a major donation, or there is a process we can go through to get money through the State Government,” he said.
“Moruya also has a case for a better emergency department ... and there is a shortage of various other things in the area. It’s challenging because capital is run down.”
Despite the constraints, Dr Alexander remains optimistic about improving shire health services.
“The government came in saying it wants to respond more favourably to rural health demands,” he said. “That was their platform.”
