The Rural Doctors Association of NSW (RDANSW) are frustrated and feel overlooked by NSW Health in the planning process for the new Eurobodalla Hospital.
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RDANSW has called for an urgent meeting with the NSW Premier and NSW Health Minister over an "extreme lack of consultation" with local doctors about the new Eurobodalla Hospital.
"Local GPs and medical staff have attended endless planning sessions around the new hospital and...much of what is proposed shows their recommendations have not been taken on board," said RDANSW President Dr Charles Evill.
The frustration comes after NSW Health and Premier Perrottet visited Moruya to reveal the new $260 million masterplan for the Moruya Hospital.
Dr Judy Toman and Dr Lachlan Brown - Chairs of the local Medical Staff Councils in Moruya and Batemans Bay respectively - were not invited to the masterplan revealing.
Dr Evill says it is a symptom of a systemic and widespread problem.
"The absence of an invitation to attend this significant milestone is reflective of the current situation in the area, where there continues to be a lack of effective consultation with the local medical workforce regarding day-to-day operations," he said.
"While NSW Health might infer that local medical staff have been consulted, in reality this is far from the case."
RDANSW is worried the new Eurobodalla hospital will suffer from a lack of medical consultation in the planning process as, they claim, other regional hospitals in NSW have.
"A prime example is the new South East Regional Hospital at Bega which has been plagued by discontent and operates using a high percentage of fly-in-fly-out doctors and specialists...at great cost to the people of NSW," he said.
Dr Evill says medical professionals are tired and frustrated by "significant and ongoing issues with NSW Health's support" for the Eurobodalla.
"Local doctors, medical staff and the community have raised their concerns about these issues for years - but these have not been addressed satisfactorily," he said.
"Several local doctors are on the brink of resigning their Visiting Medical Officer (VMO) services from Eurobodalla Hospital, and two long-term VMOs have already resigned effective February 2022."
This includes Dr Michael Holland, who has worked in the region for 19 years and is the Eurobodalla Shire's only contracted obstetrician.
Dr Evill cannot understand why NSW Health has not consulted local health professionals more.
"As a result, the new hospital is looking very likely not to be what is really needed," he said.
"Even as at today, the new hospital plans aren't easily obtainable by local VMOs."