29.11.08 Rural doctors draw human 'line in the sand' at Bondi
over appalling treatment of rural health by NSW Government
*8 point plan to revive rural healthcare in the state*
* Figures show up to 1450 premature deaths occur annually in rural NSW - more than triple the state road toll*
* Other rural health protests on the NSW South Coast and NSW North Coast today * [FULL ARTICLE]
Rural doctors to meet with NSW Health Minister tomorrow (Thursday 27.11.08)on rural health crisis
Representatives from the Rural Doctors Association of NSW (RDA NSW) will meet with the NSW Health Minister, John Della Bosca, tomorrow (Thursday) to discuss the escalating rural health crisis across NSW and what the State Government should be doing to avert it.
Issues that the rural doctors will raise at the meeting include:
- The relentless downgrading and closure of rural hospitals across NSW, particularly maternity units and now paediatric care.
- RDA NSW's 8 point plan for rural healthcare in NSW, which has now been presented to 2 successive NSW Labor Health Ministers and ignored by each of them. RDA NSW fervently hopes Minister Della Bosca will be the one to act on it. View it at: http://www.rdansw.com.au/news/RDA_PROPOSALS_FOR_RURAL_HEALTH_FOR_PARLIAMENTARY_TERM_2007.pdf
- Recent paediatric protocols proposed by the NSW Government through the Greater Southern Area Health Service, Greater Western Area Health Service and Hunter New England Area Health Service, which effectively will lead to the closure of the maternity units at Cowra and Mudgee hospitals and ban over 110 rural hospitals across NSW from admitting children under 16 years of age. The protocols show a complete lack of recognition by the NSW Government and the Area Health Services of the high quality care already being provided to paediatric patients by rural doctors and nurses at these locations. RDA NSW will ask Minister Della Bosca to place a moratorium on these protocols until genuine, formal consultation has been undertaken with RDA NSW, the medical colleges, and other medical and health sector associations.
- The need for the NSW Government to better support the Prevocational General Practice Placements Program (PGPPP), a national program which provides young doctors with valuable experience in rural practice but which has been seriously lagging in NSW.
- A range of issues such as the closure of the maternity unit and now paediatrics at Pambula Hospital on the Far South Coast and the ongoing battle that NSW rural surgeon, Dr Neil Meulman, is facing in being able to provide much-needed local surgical services in Bourke.
- The range of measures needed to get and keep more doctors, nurses and other health professionals in rural NSW, and to provide more hospital and GP training placements in rural NSW for junior doctors.
Available for interview: Dr Les Woollard (RDA NSW President) on tel: 0438 522 773
Dr Paul Mara (RDA NSW Secretary) on tel: 0412 486 536
Media contacts:Patrick Daley on tel: 0408 004 890
Lara Cole on tel: 0421 202 643
27.11.08 First Maternity - Now Paediatrics - Closed at Pambula [pdf]
The Rural Doctors Association of NSW (RDA NSW) is urging all residents across the Bega Valley Shire to consider whether the NSW Government's decision to halve the number of maternity units in the Shire—and to shut down paediatric services at Pambula Hospital—will result in safer outcomes for the region's mothers, babies and children.
Its call comes as the NSW Government, through the Greater Southern Area Health Service (GSAHS), has further reduced much-needed services at Pambula Hospital by stipulating that children under 16 years of age must no longer be cared for as inpatients at the Hospital.
"In a media release issued on Friday, GSAHS's Dr Joe McGirr said the location of birthing services at one site in the Bega Valley Shire would provide the safest and most sustainable maternity service for the future†said RDA NSW President, Dr Les Woollard.
"To close down the Pambula Hospital maternity unit virtually overnight—particularly when it will be at least four years before the new hospital at Bega is built, if indeed it ever is—is far from best practice and far from being the safest option for mothers and babies in Bega Valley Shire.
25.11.08
TMF cover - VMO Essential reading [pdf]
RDA NSW are advised to read this recent
correspondence from the NSW health dept about TMF contracts
In summary from 1/1/209 it is ESSENTIAL that all VMOs have a signed service
contract ( only approved version must be word for word as per the contract
on this site)
Extensions or any other form of contract will invalidate TMF indemnity cover
Public meeting critical as Minister's office confirms
no plans to reinstate Pambula maternity unit
11.11.08 The Rural Doctors Association of NSW is also warning that with the closure of the Pambula Hospital maternity unit, those patients based in Bega and in the northern parts of the Bega Valley Shire can also expect longer waiting times at Bega Hospital for obstetrics, emergency and other services as doctors and other healthcare staff struggle to meet the increased demand.
"What the Greater Southern Area Health Service has done is to close a viable birthing unit at Pambula where there were four local and experienced GP obstetricians providing obstetric, emergency and inpatient care at their local hospital, and instead leave a service in Bega that is severely understaffed and a considerable drive away for many pregnant mothers.
"There are much better solutions to the birthing situation in the region than the mess the Greater Southern Area Health Service has got us all into. [FULL ARTICLE]
CRISIS WORSENS -- PAMBULA OBSTETRICS UNIT
Pambula's four GP obstetricians have again confirmed they will not participate in the obstetrics roster at Bega Hospital under the proposed single maternity unit model proposed for the Bega Valley, once their resignations from the obstetrics roster at Pambula Hospital take effect in mid-December.
[FULL ARTICLE]
15.10.08 Rural doctors reject findings of Pambula obstetrics report
Acting President of RDA NSW, Dr Ian Kamerman, said the Association does not accept the findings of the Bega Valley Maternity Services Review report released last week.
The report recommends the closure of the Pambula maternity unit and consolidation of services at Bega Hospital.
"This decision will lead to a loss of four highly skilled rural doctor obstetricians from the bush in a medically isolated region, with one of the fastest growing populations in NSW" Dr Kamerman said.
"It will lead to greater uncertainty for patients and a decline in overall medical services.
[FULL ARTICLE]
8.10.08 Doctors welcome efforts to keep Bourke maternity unit open
The Rural Doctors Association of NSW (RDA NSW) has welcomed efforts by the Greater Western Area Health Service to keep the Bourke maternity unit open on a part-time basis, at the time of a current shortage of midwives at Bourke Hospital.
The maternity unit at the hospital has been temporarily reduced to a part-time service, following the recent resignation of a midwife and another midwife taking maternity leave.
Greater Western Area Health Service is now attempting to recruit additional midwives to boost numbers at the hospital.
[FULL ARTICLE]
24.9.08 More local doctors resign over Pambula maternity unit closure
Doctors again urge Minister's intervention, as crisis worsens
As the situation surrounding the closure of Pambula Hospitals maternity unit worsens, the Rural Doctors Association of NSW (RDA NSW) is again urging the NSW Health Minister, John Della Bosca, to immediately intervene in the crisis to reverse the closure in the interests of patient safety, and to make a personal visit to Pambula to listen to doctors and patients concerns.
The Association is also urging the Minister to reinstate the many other rural maternity services across NSW that have been closed under the NSW Labor Government and previous governments.
20.9.08 Pregnant women to be forced to drive 2 hours to give birth
The Rural Doctors Association of NSW (RDA NSW) is urgently calling on the new NSW Health Minister, John Della Bosca MP, to prevent the disgraceful closure of Pambula Hospital's maternity unit on the state's south coast.
Closure of the unit will see pregnant women from as far south as Mallacoota being forced to travel 2 hours during labour to the next closest maternity unit at Bega Hospital travel time which the Association warns will lead to an increased risk of maternal or child deaths, and roadside births on the busy Princes Highway. Full article (pdf)
13.5.08 Doctors plead Government: charge the paddles and revive rural health in Budget '08
The Federal Government's Rural Health Workforce Audit has provided yet more evidence that rural health is in full-blown cardiac arrest and underlines why next week's Budget must include real measures to get more doctors and other health professionals to the bush, the Rural Doctors Association of Australia (RDAA) has warned.
[read full article]
2.5.08 Audit shows desperate need for rescue package in getting more docs to the bush
The results of a Federal Government audit into Australias shortage of rural health professionals provides stark evidence of the urgent need for a Rural Rescue Package to get more doctors to the bush and dramatically improve access to local healthcare for country Australians, the Rural Doctors Association of Australia (RDAA) said today.
"This audit completely supports what RDAA has been saying for many years that there is an extremely serious shortage of doctors and other health professionals in rural and remote Australia and the current range of incentives, while welcome, have been no more than a drop in the ocean in fixing it." RDAA President, Dr Peter Rischbieth, said.
[Full article]
22.3.08 RDA PROPOSALS FOR A RURAL HEALTH PLAN ENDORSED BY NSW GOVERNMENT
The RDA NSW believes there should be a government supported rural health services plan for hospital services in towns < 35000 population in NSW i.e. district hospitals and below.
[Further details- pdf- large file warning]
5.3.08 Doctors write to PM - no rural doctor on new health and hospitals commission
The Rural Doctors Association of NSW (RDA NSW) has written to Prime Minister Kevin Rudd expressing its concern that no rural doctors have been appointed to the Federal Government's new National Health and Hospitals Reform Commission.
The Association has urged the Prime Minister to reconsider including a rural doctor on the Commission's Board or, at the very least, instruct the Commission to specifically seek input from a dedicated panel of rural doctors.
[Full article]
20.2.08 RDA NSW now has a new category for medical students. [Membership 2008]
22.2.08 Bathurst and Bourke hospitals farce shows centralised decision-making is not working
The Rural Doctors Association of NSW (RDA NSW) says the problems facing the new Bathurst and Bourke hospitalswith both hospitals unable to provide desperately needed rural surgical services are yet more evidence that the NSW Government and its Health Department are failing rural communities. [Bathurst Hospital - further details]
15.1.08 Doctors call for surgery to restart in Bourke as part of NSW's $43 million elective surgery grant.
Doctors and nurses available now in Bourke.
The Rural Doctors Association of NSW (RDA NSW) and Rural Doctors Association of Australia (RDAA) are urging the NSW Government to restart general surgery services in the rural town of Bourke, following the Federal Governments provision yesterday of an additional $43 million for elective surgery in the state, the availability of multi-skilled local doctors and nurses in Bourke, and a proactive approach by a Bathurst surgeon to provide a fly-in-fly-out surgical service to the town.
18.12.07 Higher death rates underline need for special focus on rural health
The Rural Doctors Association of Australia (RDAA) says more disturbing findings on higher death rates in rural Australia, contained in a new Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW) report released today, underline why improving access to rural healthcare must be a special focus in the development of the Federal Government's new National Primary Care Strategy and in the deliberations of the Government's new Health and Hospitals Reform Commission.
The AIHW report, Rural, regional and remote Australia: a study on mortality, found that death rates were about 10% higher in regional areas and up to 70% higher in very remote areas. RDAA has estimated from the reports findings that around 4500 rural Australians are dying each year when they would otherwise survive if they were living in a major city.
The Rural Doctors Association of Australia (RDAA) says more disturbing findings on higher death rates in rural Australia, contained in a new Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW) report released today, underline why improving access to rural healthcare must be a special focus in the development of the Federal Governments new National Primary Care Strategy and in the deliberations of the Governments new Health and Hospitals Reform Commission.
10.12.07 PM's acknowledgement of rural doctor shortage welcomed
The Rural Doctors Association of Australia (RDAA) has welcomed public acknowledgement by Prime Minister Kevin Rudd of the critical shortage of doctors and other health professionals across rural Australia, and his commitment to work quickly in resolving the problem.
In a speech delivered in Queensland last Friday, Prime Minister Rudd said: â€Å"I know enough about rural Australia to know that there is a real problem here. No matter which rural community I visit in New South Wales, Victoria, in the West or here in Queensland, there is a problem of supply of rural doctors and nurses.
