There is absolutely no doubt about the power the Griffith community holds. But have we reached a point where that power is being used against the best interests of the community?
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With the publishing of a letter from Dr Maxwell Hopp, our Member for Murray tapped into a long-cultivated underdog mentality in the town.
We have seen our services continually stripped from our hospital, with seemingly basic services like orthopedic surgery only available at far-away district hospitals such as Wagga and Albury.
It seems Murrumbidgee Local Health District are doing themselves no favours.
Every man and his dog knows about the redevelopment of the Griffith Base Hospital. Plans have been released, consultation and information sessions have been held, and it still seems there are still plans being enacted without the community, or even those within the hospital, knowing what's what.
While the redevelopment plan for the hospital details a place for specialist services within the new ambulatory hub, there is no mention of which specialists are included.
Take the allergy clinic, it seems logical that during the redevelopment there is a streamlining of services to provide the public with essential services.
When there is no information, no clarity as to why something is being done, trauma of the past rears its ugly head to hinder productivity.
Helen Dalton was a huge campaigner for the hospital during the 2017 byelection and for the 2018 elections, where she promised the Griffith community she would fight for essential health services.
Numerous times she criticised the sharing of services between the private hospital and the base hospital. And yet, here is MLHD saying they are going to take a private clinic and make it public.
In the past, operating his private clinic out of the base hospital with a publicly funded community nurse - the only arrangement of it's kind in the state - served the purpose of providing this specialist service.
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While there is no doubt the local experience and expertise of Dr Hopp is unparalleled, the end game is integrating this service into the public health system.
It was only when the Griffith community quickly fired up about another potential loss, that the move was fully explained.
Perhaps open lines of communication between our local member, the Health Department and the health district would see a scandal-free transition to our new hospital.