By JONATHON HOWARD
NOOSA residents have expressed concern for hospital surgery waiting times as they continue to apply pressure on the State Government to increase healthcare services at Noosa Hospital.
While many residents have called for the addition of a birthing suite at Noosa Hospital, demands for increased hip and knee replacement surgeries have also been hotly debated.
Noosa Today put several questions to Sunshine Coast Hospital and Health Service chief executive Kevin Hegarty, to determine the current surgery wait times and future use of Noosa Hospital.
“As at 1 August 2014, there are no long wait category 1 (urgent – recommended admission within 30 days) orthopaedic patients, there are two long wait category patients 2 (recommended admission within 90 days) and three long wait category 3 patients (non-urgent – recommended admission within 365 days),” Mr Hegarty said.
When asked why Noosa Hospital does not offer knee and hip replacement surgeries, Mr Hegarty said the matter was in the hands of Ramsay Health Care, the current owner of Noosa Hospital.
“Under the service agreement that the Sunshine Coast Hospital and Health Service (SCHHS) has with Ramsay Health Care, the owners and operators of Noosa Hospital, the SCHHS as the client, has the ability to purchase the volume and range of services that helps us best meet the health care need of the community it serves,” he said.
“The annual decision as to what range and volume of services that are purchased from Noosa Hospital is made with consideration of the health needs of the Sunshine Coast and Gympie communities and the changing availability of services.
“The provision of orthopaedic services at Noosa Hospital to private patients is of course a matter for Ramsay Health Care.”
Following Noosa Hospital’s expiry of the current 20-year contract on 30 June 2020, Mr Hegarty said several public health assurances had already been made.
“Discussions are already underway with RHC about the arrangements post this date,” he said.
“As per public assurances already given, there will be continuation of funded services for public patients within the private hospital post 30 June, 2020.”
Mr Hegarty also attempted to ease concerns around the closure of certain birthing services at Nambour Hospital once Kawana Hospital comes online.
“The Sunshine Coast Public University Hospital is being developed as a tertiary level facility,” he said.
“That is, it will provide services that are currently not available at public hospitals on the Sunshine Coast e.g. neurosurgery, a comprehensive cancer care service, trauma service.
“This will mean about 10,000 residents of the Sunshine Coast who are currently admitted to public hospitals in Brisbane each year will be able to receive their care on the Sunshine Coast.
“For some of these high level services it will mean that residents of Noosa, who are public patients, will travel to Kawana rather than Brisbane.
“The impact of this is even more significant when each inpatient admission to a Brisbane Hospital would usually entail a number of pre-admission and post-admission outpatient appointments.”
“The total dollar value of funding provided to the private hospital by the Sunshine Coast Hospital and Health Service remains relatively consistent in excess of $20 million per annum.
“The development of additional services for private patients is of course the right and discretion of the owners and operators of the facility, Ramsay Health Care.”
