Cootamundra residents are encouraged to attend a rally in Wagga next week aimed at highlighting the need for doctors to be available in local hospitals.
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Tania Baldock who is taking a day off to attend the rally on Wednesday, October 30, 2019 from 11:30am to 1:30pm told the Cootamundra Herald she hopes to see other locals attend.
"After local GPs reduced their daytime hospital service to life threatening cases only, the Murrumbidgee Local Health District (MLHD) have not actively tried to recruit a Doctor for the Cootamundra Hospital," Ms Baldock said.
"I will be joining the Tumut Community Association who have organised the rally for people across the local health district who need doctors for their hospital.
"The MLHD seem to think it's perfectly acceptable to rely on a video link advisory service in order to assess patients.
"In reality, nothing can replace a doctor's examination.
"Many patients who should have been dealt with in Cootamundra are transported to Wagga putting more pressure on our paramedics and Wagga Base Hospital.
"The reality is that the remote medical service from Wagga is so overwhelmed with calls from district hospitals that patients remain in Emergency Department until the after hours period."
Ms Baldock believes that it is unfair for doctors who have worked a full day at the medical centre to be expected to then "sort out all the hospital patients from that day".
"Don't forget this small number of Doctors are rostered "on call" after hours. They also have families and their own well being to look after," she said.
"The MLHD talk of employing a nurse practitioner as an answer to having no doctor in the emergency department.
"Sorry, but at the end of the day a nurse practitioner will also rely on the input of a doctor so again many patients who should be managed in Cootamundra will be sent to Wagga.
"At Cootamundra, we have a brand new emergency department costing nearly half a million dollars, without the staff to run it.
"The hospital "locum" that we the public were led to believe was coming in a full time capacity appears to be employed once in a blue moon."
Ms Baldock said the only solution for Cootamundra was for the health service to employ a doctor "on site" at least during business hours and then use a locum "to fill gaps in the on call roster".
"Young District Hospital already have an "on site" Doctor. This is what the Cootamundra community want. Is it really too much to ask?" Ms Baldock said.
"We are aware of the doctor shortage but unless the MLHD advertise for a doctor there is no hope of getting one.
"We already have a wonderful team of Local GPs, nurses, health care workers and paramedics who just need the community to get behind them and push for a hospital doctor to support them."
The peaceful rally will be held outside the Morgan Street office of the MLHD offices in Wagga.
"I hope to see other Cootamundra residents at the rally," Ms Baldock said.
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