BETRAYAL: Griffith community rebel against NSW Health's secretive plan to gut Griffith base hospital pathology department

In a brave letter circulated more than 20,000 times across social media, Dr Narayanan Jayachandran (Jaya) said the hospital’s histopathology department – which studies diseased tissue and cancerous lumps – is being shut down, among other service cuts and staff sackings. 

The move will force even more MIA patients to travel Wagga or Sydney for treatment, while others will likely face longer waits for test results.  

Other hospital staff informed us they are shocked and devastated by the news, but NSW Health’s punitive media gag prevents them from even informing the public how the downgrades with affect them. Staff who speak out are threatened with the sack, while the NSW government remains silent on the secret plan to gut the hospital. 

Griffith mayor John Dal Broi called the decision “disgraceful” and said he feels “betrayed” hearing about this so soon after the premier’s visit. 

“I have to express my utter disappointment that this has been brought on us without any consultation… I will be seeking an urgent meeting with the NSW Health minister.”

Cr Dal Broi called on the community to rally against the decision, saying research by council revealed Griffith hospital has had the least expenditure on it of any NSW regional hospital over the past decade. 

Griffith business chamber president Paul Pierotti joined calls for a community rebellion against an act of “blatant hypocrisy”, saying people should write to Adrian Piccoli, the NSW premier, the NSW Health minister and join the social media campaign.  

Local member Adrian Piccoli had said last month’s premier’s announcement was all “good news” for the hospital, and criticised The Area News for questioning the low amount of funding and why money had yet to be allocated in the NSW budget. 

Dr Jaya’s letter was as follows:

They were closing down histopathology and moving that to wagga. Other sections of the lab were being affected as well. After 18 years poor Dr. Murthy our pathologist needs to go to wagga to continue work or else he is out of a job. Poor George Youssef is out of a job. Those people had no warning. That is one step closer to our demise after the change in radiology services and closure of the central sterilisation service at the base. Even if all the doctors in the hospital band together and go to the press nothing will happen unless there is a mass community movement and I mean mass meetings and rallies. This hospital services a population of 80,000 and that's a sizeable number.  said histopathology was moving that to wagga. Other sections of the lab were being affected as well. After 18 years poor Dr. Murthy our pathologist needs to go to wagga to continue work or else he is out of a job. Poor George Youssef is out of a job. Those people had no warning. That is one step closer to our demise after the change in radiology services and closure of the central sterilisation service at the base. Even if all the doctors in the hospital band together and go to the press nothing will happen unless there is a mass community movement and I mean mass meetings and rallies. This hospital services a population of 80,000 and that's a sizeable number.