Slashing of joint replacements at Bowral to hurt Sydney and rural patients alike
The Rural Doctors Association of NSW (RDA NSW) is extremely concerned with a plan by the NSW Government’s Sydney South West Area Health Service to slash the number of joint replacement operations at Bowral Hospital in the state’s Southern Highlands, fearing it could be a veiled attempt to shut down all such operations at Bowral in the future.
This is despite the service being among the best in NSW with regards to lower infection rates, length of stay for patients, greater cost-effectiveness, and the impact that the cut in operations will have on both local and Sydney hospital waiting lists.
“Orthopaedic doctors at Bowral Hospital have been told that their joint replacements were being reduced by half and that the numbers were being capped at 110 per year” RDA NSW Vice President, Dr Tilak Dissanayake, said.
“Given Bowral Hospital has already done 150 joint replacements this year, the Area Health Service’s plan is that excess patients will be transferred to already bursting Sydney waiting lists.
“This decision reeks of discrimination against rural patients, not only those in the Southern Highlands but also patients from other areas of country NSW.
“Many patients will now be forced to travel to Sydney to be seen at a clinic at one of the major hospitals, then travel again to have their surgery performed, and then again for post-op visits. Patients’ families will also be forced to travel to Sydney to visit them."
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