Shoalhaven public patients are being required to fork out for a fortnight of private accommodation for Ear Nose and Throat surgery at Wollongong Hospital - and the health district doesn't want to talk about it.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
After the South Coast Register heard from a reader who was turned away from Wollongong Hospital because they weren't able to afford the cost of a hotel stay - at a week's notice - we asked the Health District about it.
We asked the health district if it was true that there was no longer a public ENT specialist available in the Shoalhaven, and if so, for how long that had been the case.
We asked if patients were required to pay for accommodation in Wollongong to be eligible for surgery.
We also asked if there was a public or private child ENT specialist in the Shoalhaven.
We asked for an expected timeline if the district was recruiting a specialist.
We received the following response from Illawarra Shoalhaven Local Health District Executive Director Clinical Operations Margaret Martin:
"The Illawarra Shoalhaven Local Health District is actively recruiting to an ENT specialist position at Shoalhaven Hospital.
"Attracting and recruiting specialists to rural areas can be challenging for particular specialities such as ENT.
"The District is working with the Wollongong Hospital ENT Department to attract and retain appropriately skilled and qualified ENT surgeons to Shoalhaven Hospital.
"While recruitment is underway, Shoalhaven Hospital is using locum ENT surgeons to perform elective surgery according to clinical priority.
"We understand it is often difficult for patients to travel for surgery, but this is sometimes clinically necessary for patients with more urgent or complex procedures so they can get the expertise of specialist surgeons.
"The NSW Government is investing $434 million for an upgrade of Shoalhaven Hospital which will enhance clinical care across the hospital network and meet the needs of the growing Shoalhaven population."
The South Coast Register has again asked the Health District how long the region has been without an ENT, whether there are any services available for children, and to confirm that public surgical patients are required to pay for private accommodation.
It is understood that some rural and remote patients in Australia are eligible for government assistance when required to travel for medical treatment. It is not known whether patients travelling from the Shoalhaven to Wollongong would be eligible.
