Hans Lovejoy and Chris Dobney
NSW Labor and the Greens are putting pressure on the coalition government to explain how the planned Byron Central Hospital in Ewingsdale will operate if its surgical services are outsourced to the private sector.
It comes after the coalition announced recently that it is undertaking ‘a market sounding process’ to determine whether there is interest from private providers to deliver surgical services at the facility.
It’s something that health minister Jillian Skinner’s office said is a common and long-standing arrangement, despite concerns from the Byron Shire Community Consultative Committee and Byron Shire Council.
Labor MPs Linda Burney, Walt Secord and Justine Elliot were in Byron last Friday to support candidate for Ballina Paul Spooner in the pledge that if elected they would keep it in public hands, ‘with no privatisation of surgical services’.
Mr Secord said the Nationals ‘created the disastrous model of the private Port Macquarie Hospital, which had to be purchased by the state government. Furthermore, premier Mike Baird says he wants to see privatisation of hospital services,’ he told The Echo.
‘In 1992, the previous Liberal-National government struck a deal which resulted in the private ownership of Port Macquarie Base Hospital. After more than 10 years of unsatisfactory service, it was bought by the state Labor government in 2005.
‘We all remember how a hospital that should have cost $52 million to build ended up costing the taxpayers $144 million. This was due to the National Party,’ Mr Secord said.
‘The Nationals on the north coast have a poor record on health services. They introduce paid parking, slash cleaning and maintenance jobs, close services and privatise health on the north coast,’ he added.
Mr Spooner said he was supporting the new hospital because he was fighting for first class health services for the region.
‘Under Labor, Byron Central will be a government-run hospital with surgical services,’ Mr Spooner said.
He added that, if elected, Labor would ensure that construction would begin in 2015.
Labor is also attempting to force the coalition to release all documents related to the development, ‘to find out the National Party plans for Byron Central Hospital,’ Mr Secord told The Echo.
But Mr Page has emphasised that the government is only looking at outsourcing day surgery services at the hospital, not privatising the full hospital facility.
‘The health department advises that if we just have public patients, the maximum time that surgery could operate would be two days a week. If, however, we put out for expressions of interest in the private sector, bearing in mind that public patients would be treated at this facility as well and paid for by the government, then the likelihood is that day surgery would operate five days a week,’ he told ABC radio news this morning.
Political point scoring
Greens MLC and former mayor Jan Barham has accused Mr Secord of trying to score political points and spreading misinformation.
‘I understand that Port Macquarie Hospital was already fully privatised, so it is not relevant,’ she told The Echo. ‘It is my understanding that even with a private surgery model, the public access to surgery is guaranteed, but a more detailed explanation of how it would be delivered and function is a priority that the current government needs to explain to the community.’
‘The current situation with the loss of surgery services from the design plan needs to be explained. There is a history of the delivering surgery services via a private provider, but this does not equate to a privatisation of the complete health service.
‘It is my understanding that even with a private surgery model, the public access to surgery is guaranteed but a more detailed explanation of how it would be delivered and function is a priority that the current government needs to explain to the community. It is also vital that the community is aware of the enormous commitment of locals who have served on committees for two decades to ensure that the Byron Shire community receive the health services it deserves. I am in awe of their long-standing advocacy and applaud their commitment to our community.
Lack of consultation
‘There has been a lack of consultation and notification about this process.’
And questions from Ms Barham to NSW health minister back in September are yet to be answered. One included, ‘Why are public surgical facilities no longer included in the plan despite many years of commitment by governments that the upgrade would include surgical facilities?’
Ms Barham also slammed Labor because, while in government for 16 years, ‘it did not deliver an outcome,’ for the hospital. ‘After extensive design and consultation process for over a decade, the ALP then abandoned [its] plans and proposed a Central Coastal hospital in Ballina.
‘It is an historical fact that the ALP engaged the community in years of planning processes and did not deliver an outcome,’ she said.
I acknowledge that there is concern about the removal of surgery services from the current hospital plan but we cant ignore the fact that after that extensive design and consultation process for over a decade the ALP then abandoned that plan and proposed a Central Coastal hospital in Ballina and another exhaustive process was required to retain our shire hospital services.
‘In 2003 when I was the Green candidate for Ballina it was the priority issue for that election and the ALP government gave a commitment to deliver only to do an about face with a new proposal that required the community to again lobby for the shire hospital
‘Another exhaustive process was then required to retain our shire’s hospital services. Local MP Don Page (Nationals) has been a strong advocate for the delivery of the hospital and now we at least have a commitment to build.’
On October 16 she told Parliament, ‘Until February 2014, architectural plans that were shown to community members – who had served for more than 20 years on committees discussing the delivery of a new hospital – included surgery services.
Mayor concerned
Meanwhile mayor Simon Richardson said at Council’s last meeting he has serious concerns about the hospital development. They include sewerage, traffic impacts, access, parking and noise, and would be detailed in council’s submission to the government.
