Moruya surgeon Dr Michael Holland is feeling "very positive" about the NSW Government's $50 million extra grant to the new Eurobodalla Regional Hospital.
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On Thursday, June 11, Bega MP Andrew Constance confirmed Moruya was the site for the new hospital, and that $50 million would be added to the pledged $150 million.
"The extra $50 million is what the hospital should have been funded in the first place," Dr Holland said.
In February 2019, the then federal opposition leader Bill Shorten pledged an extra $25 million to the project, but the current federal government has not matched that pledge.
The pressure is now on Eden-Monaro candidates to commit federal dollars to the hospital.
"We have a window of opportunity with the byelection, involving the Narooma population, which is 20 per cent of the Eurobodalla Shire, to get commitment from federal candidates to put federal funding for infrastructure for things above and beyond what the hospital will provide," Dr Holland said.
A focus on services including radiotherapy, mental health and tertiary education would open doors for other professionals.
"What we will have is a blueprint for this hospital. It has to be built as the best hospital we can get for that money and also run as the best hospital we can get," he said.
"We need intensive care services to attract other specialists."
Dr Holland said adequate mental health and post-natal care was a "campaign we have to keep working on".
He said the clinical service plan included pediatric and increased nursery and post-natal beds.
However, there were "fine-tuning planning issues" in how the system would run out-patient consultation in the maternity unit.
Dr Holland said his role in women's health services involved obstetrics and gynecology.
"From an obstetric point of view, the Eurobodalla attracts women from the lower Shoalhaven to the upper Bega Valley Shire. Milton-Ulladulla women make up 20 per cent of women birthing in the region. We provide a service that can't be provided in many areas," he said.
Their unit ran functionally, but their neo-natal service was limited.
More babies could be delivered in the Eurobodalla Shire if there was a higher level of nursery care.
From a gynecologist view, there were many operations Dr Holland could undertake in the Eurobodalla Shire, but women were sent to other hospitals because there were post-operative care limitations.
With an intensive care unit, health professionals would be able to care for people with medical problems post-surgery.
Dr Holland said some people were worried about the "p-word": private hospital.
"There is no suggestion this hospital will be built as a privately-run public hospital, but there is a need on the South Coast for a significant private hospital," he said.
That could be "co-located" next door to the planned Eurobodalla Regional Hospital.
"It would be a win-win: a win for the public hospital because they could still raise revenue from the co-located service, and it allows patients who have private health insurance to have their doctor of choice," he said.
In response to whether the new hospital would be better than Bega, Dr Holland said it was not a competition.
He said it was impossible to have every service in every region, but the Eurobodalla Shire was well-located.
"In one way, it's been a competition in terms of equality; that is to get in Eurobodalla the level of services that are in Bega and Goulburn," he said.
"You can't have everything everywhere.
"We are much more centrally-placed on the coast to provide from Milton-Ulladulla to Eden, and access to Canberra is easier.
"The Eurobodalla could become a hub to things not available, such as radiotherapy services - which means people don't have to drive at least two hours to Canberra or Nowra.
"Certain out-patient services could be co-located with the new hospital.
"This is where my campaign started. There was a need for perinatal and early childhood family support, particularly with mental health."
Dr Holland and others have campaigned strongly for a regional hospital.
He said the location of the hospital site was "irrelevant", as long as it gave "fair access" to the Eurobodalla Shire community from south Narooma to north Batemans Bay: "it's the services, not the site" that was important.
He anticipated the clinical services plan would be revealed over the next month, and community consultation would begin in Batemans Bay, Moruya and Narooma to inform the public of the site and level of services. He said he would be involved in those meetings.
Mr Constance publicly thanked Dr Holland, among others, for his contribution.
Dr Holland thanked everyone who supported the campaign, and said the clinical service plan team worked very hard.
"It's very nice to have that acknowledgement but it's an acknowledgement of the community," Dr Holland said.
"Firstly, my job - I keep simple - is to stick to the petition we made two years ago.
"Having Mr Constance deliver on that promise, I certainly thank him.
"Its now almost physically tangible this will happen."
Dr Holland said the NSW Department of Health's response and management of the coronavirus pandemic was "exactly the right thing".
He said the Eurobodalla Shire health service worked within its capacity.
Staff were prepared for the worst, and "fortunately the worst hasn't happened".
